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A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  TROOPS 

IN 

THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION 

1861-1865 

PRECEDED  BY 

A  REVIEW  OF  THE  MILITARY  SERVICES  OF  NEGROES 
IN  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN  TIMES 


BY 


GEOEGE  W.  WILLIAMS,  LL.D. 

COLONEL  AND  LATE  JUDGE  ADVOCATE  IN  THE  GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 
AUTHOR  OF  "THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA" 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER   &   BROTHERS,  FRANKLIN   SQUARE 
1  888 


Copyright,  188Y,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 


All  rightt  reierved. 


f  73,  7¥-/s' 


TO 
THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 

-  WHO  HEROICALLY  SERVED  THEIR  COUNTRY 

IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION 

THIS  RECORD  OF  THEIR  VALOR 

3s  Inscribed 

BY  THEIR  COMRADE   IN  ARMS 

THE  AUTHOR 


PREFACE. 


I  HAVE  undertaken  to  write  a  military  history  of  Negro 
troops  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  I  have  written  only 
of  the  military  services  of  Negro  troops ;  and  I  have  used 
the  generic  word  Negro  because,  while  many  mulattoes 
were  in  the  service,  the  Negroes  preponderated  to  an 
overwhelming  degree. 

In  writing  of  the  remote  past,  the  historian  has  the  ben- 
efit of  the  sifting  and  winnowing  to  which  time  subjects 
historical  data;  but  in  writing  of  events  within  living 
memory  it  requires  both  fortitude  and  skill  to  resist  the 
insidious  influence  of  interested  friends  and  actors,  to  sep- 
arate error  from  truth  with  an  even  and  steady  hand,  to 
master  the  sources  of  historical  information — to  know 
where  the  material  is,  to  collect  and  classify  it,  although 
scattered  through  an  almost  endless  maze  of  books,  news- 
papers, diaries,  pamphlets,  etc. — and  to  avoid  partisan 
feeling  and  maintain  a  spirit  of  judicial  candor.  How  far 
I  have  succeeded  is  left  to  the  considerate  judgment  of 
the  reader. 

Myself  a  soldier  in  the  volunteer  and  regular  army  of 
the  United  States,  in  infantry  and  cavalry,  an  officer  of 
artillery  in  the  Republican  forces  of  the  Mexican  army, 
and  recently  an  officer  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  of  Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer  Militia,  I  may  claim  some  military  ex- 
perience. I  participated  in  many  of  the  battles  herein 
described,  including  some  of  the  most  severe  conflicts  of 
Negro  troops  with  the  enemy  in  Virginia.  But  I  have  re- 


X  PREFACE. 

lied  very  little  on  personal  knowledge,  preferring  always 
to  follow  the  official  record. 

For  years  an  active  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  I  have  heard  with  deep  interest,  at  camp-fires 
and  encampments,  many  narratives  of  the  heroic  conduct 
of  Negro  soldiers,  but  my  enthusiasm  has  never  led  me 
away  from  the  record.  I  have  been  intrusted  with  the 
journals  and  orderly  -  books  of  officers  from  the  rank  of 
lieutenant  to  that  of  major-general,  and  have  been  person- 
ally acquainted  with  six  major-generals  who  at  one  time 
or  another  commanded  Negro  troops. 

The  data  upon  which  I  have  relied  for  the  historical 
trustworthiness  of  this  work  are  divisible  into  two  classes, 
official  and  unofficial.  The  official  class  contains  the  fol- 
lowing documents : 

"  Official  Kecords  of  the  War  of  the  Eebellion,"  edited 
by  Lieutenant-colonel  Robert  N.  Scott ;  Confederate  Of- 
ficial Records;  Army  and  Navy  Official  Gazette;  Con- 
gressional Record  and  Congressional  Globe;  Journal  of 
the  Confederate  Congress ;  Executive  Documents  of  the 
several  States;  Official  Despatches  of  the  "War  Depart- 
ment ;  manuscript  information  furnished  me  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  "War,  through  the  courtesy  of  the  Adjutant-general 
of  the  army;  manuscript  information  furnished  by  the 
Adjutant-generals  of  the  several  States ;  manuscript  infor- 
mation furnished  by  war  offices  of  foreign  governments 
through  their  ambassadors  in  "Washington;  and  orderly- 
books  of  general  officers  who  commanded  Negro  troops  in 
the  field. 

The  unofficial  class  contains  the  following  material : 

"  The  Rebellion  Record,"  edited  by  Frank  Moore ;  the 
annuals  of  the  "  American  Encyclopaedia  "  for  the  period 
of  the  "War ;  the  principal  histories  of  the  War,  including 
the  works  of  Pollard,  Stephens,  and  Davis  for  the  Conf ed- 


PREFACE.  xi 

eracy ;  "  The  Campaigns  of  the  Civil  War  " — entire  series 
— published  by  the  Messrs.  Scribner;  "The 'Army  of  the 
Potomac,"  by  John  Swinton ;  the  History  of  the  War,  by 
the  Comte  de  Paris ;  Grant's  Military  History,  by  Gener- 
al Adam  Badeau ;  the  Proceedings  of  the  Society  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  and  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land; the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Historical  Society  pub- 
lications of  Khode  Island;  Townshend's  War  Library; 
numerous  books  published  by  Confederate  and  Union  offi- 
cers; pamphlets,  patriotic  speeches,  and  the  files  of  the 
Boston  Journal,  the  New  York  Herald,  World,  Times, 
and  Tribune,  and  many  other  newspapers,  both  Confeder- 
ate and  Union. 

I  have  availed  myself  of  as  much  of  this  material  as 
could  advantageously  be  used  in  writing  a  popular  history, 
and  have  been  careful  to  make  due  acknowledgment  to 
my  authorities. 

I  am  under  deep  obligations  to  the  Hon.  Ainsworth  R. 
Spofford,  the  librarian  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  for  his 
kindness  in  placing  before  me  his  large  manuscript  collec- 
tions, from  which  I  have  derived  valuable  facts.  I  am 
happy  to  return  thanks  to  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the 
Adjutant-general  of  the  army  for  access  to  sources  of  in- 
formation. General  Drum  is  an  indefatigable  worker,  and 
with  his  excellent  method  he  will  soon  place  the  records  of 
the  War  Department  in  a  most  convenient  and  accessible 
shape.  I  found  Colonel  Robert  1ST.  Scott,  who  is  in  charge 
of  the  publication  of  the  War  records,  a  most  genial  and  ac- 
commodating gentleman.  I  have  enjoyed  and  appreciated 
his  literary  sympathy,  and  have  profited  by  his  wide,  va- 
ried, and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  records.  I  cheerfully 
acknowledge  receipt  of  personal  information  from  Major- 
generals  B.  F.  Butler,  A.  L.  Chetlain,  James  B.  Steedman, 
Thomas  J.  Morgan,  Daniel  Ullmann,  David  Hunter,  Majors 


xii  PREFACE. 

"William  C.  Manning  and  Luis  F.  Emilio,  and  many  other 
officers.  Of  the  officers  who  led  the  movement  to  employ 
Negroes  as  soldiers  or  commanded  them  in  battle,  the 
following  are  still  living :  Saxton,  Terry,  Butler,  Ullmann, 
Hinks,  Banks,  Morgan,  Doubleday,  Wild,  Ferrero,  Ames, 
Thomas,  Jackson,  Anger,  Andrews,  and  Birney ;  while 
Phelps,  Weitzel,  Ord,  Burnside,  Hunter,  Steedman,  D.  B. 
Birney,  and  Draper  are  dead.  Of  these  twenty-four,  nine 
were  graduates  of  West  Point.  And  that  noble  spirit — 
another  Sidney — Adjutant -general  Lorenzo  Thomas,  has 
entered  into  his  well-earned  rest ;  while  Stanton,  who  was 
always  firm  in  the  conviction  that  the  Negro  was  capable  as 
a  soldier,  and  the  venerable  General  Casey,  who  wrote  a 
system  of  tactics  for  these  troops,  are  also  dead.  These 
names,  of  the  living  as  well  as.  the  dead,  with  others  not 
mentioned  here,  will  always  be  held  in  grateful  remem- 
brance by  the  Negro  race. 

I  judged  it  proper  to  give  a  summary  of  the  military 
services  of  Negro  soldiers  in  ancient  and  modern  times, 
and  thus  to  bring  together  in  one  work  the  necessary 
facts  to  understand  their  military  capacity.  The  chapter 
on  Negro  soldiers  in  ancient  times  I  have  prepared  with 
great  pains,  after  carefully  weighing  all  the  evidence  I 
could  obtain. 

In  the  chapter  on  Negro  soldiers  in  modern  times  I  have 
sought,  with  succinct  brevity,  to  glean  the  essential  facts 
of  the  Negro's  military  services  throughout  modem  Eu- 
rope, without  overshadowing  or  detracting  from  his  rec- 
ord in  the  late  Rebellion.  I  personally  examined  the  fields 
on  which  Negroes  fought  in  Mexico ;  and  while  in  Eng- 
land, Germany,  and  France,  I  heard  from  those  who  had 
led  them  in  conflicts,  and  from  those  who  had  contended 
with  their  valor,  but  one  story  of  their  matchless  courage. 
The  Germans  have  not  forgotten  the  Negro's  desperate 


PREFACE.  xiJi 

fighting,  and  the  French  will  always  remember  that  in 
their  army- in  1870  he  was  "the  bravest  of  the  brave." 

I  have  told  the  story  of  the  Negro's  exploits  in  Hayti 
from  the  record,  and  I  have  gone  for  my  facts  to  French- 
men as  well  as  to  Englishmen,  to  foe  as  well  as  to  friend. 
In  recording  what  he  did  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  I 
have  gone  to  the  orderly  -  books  in  the  State  House  at 
Boston,  the  Department  of  State,  and  the  Library  of 
Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. ;  I  have  examined  the  de- 
scriptive lists  of  the  army  under  Washington  and  "Ward  at 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  I  have  found  it  necessary,  in 
the  interest  of  history  and  science,  to  prick  some  bubbles 
of  alleged  history,  and  to  correct  the  record.  Negro  sol- 
diers were  not  in  the  battle  of  Red  Bank,  as  many,  school 
histories  declare ;  nor  were  the  free  Negroes  of  the  colo- 
nies enrolled  as  a  part  of  the  established  militia.  They  en- 
tered many  of  the  companies  in  the  towns,  but  not  with 
the  approval  of  either  public  sentiment  or  law ;  it  was  by 
tacit  consent  of  local  authorities  against  provincial  inhibi- 
tion. 

On  the  other  hand,  justice,  in  many  instances,  has  been 
denied  the  Negro  soldier  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  Rhode  Island  regiment.  I  have  neverthe- 
less kept  to  the  record,  hewing  to  the  line,  regardless  of 
the  direction  the  flying  chips  take. 

The  part  enacted  by  the  Negro  soldier  in  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion  is  the  romance  of  North  American  history.  It 
was  midnight  and  noonday  without  a  space  between  ;  from 
the  Egyptian  darkness  of  bondage  to  the  lurid  glare  of 
civil  war;  from  clanking  chains  to. clashing  arms;  from 
passive  submission  to  the  cruel  curse  of  slavery  to  the  'brill- 
iant aggressiveness  of  a  free  soldier ;  from  a  chattel  to  a 
person;  from  the  shame  of  degradation  to  the  glory  of 
military  exaltation  ;  and  from  deep  obscurity  to  fame  and 


xiv  PREFACE. 

martial  immortality.  No  one  in  this  era  of  fraternity  and 
Christian  civilization  will  grudge  the  Negro  soldier  these 
simple  annals  of  his  trials  and  triumphs  in  a  holy  struggle 
for  human  liberty.  Whatever  praise  is  bestowed  upon  his 
noble  acts  will  be  sincerely  appreciated,  whether  from  for- 
mer foes  or  comrades  in  arms.  For  by  withholding  just 
praise  they  are  not  enriched,  nor  by  giving  are  they  there- 
by impoverished. 

Nor  will  the  reader  find  reason  for  complaint  at  the. 
spirit  of  the  historian.  I  have  spoken  plainly,  it  is  true, 
but  I  have  not  extenuated  nor  set  down  aught  in  malice. 
My  language  is  not  plainer  than  the  truth,  my  philippic  is 
not  more  cruel  than  the  crimes  exposed,  my  rhetoric  is 
not  more  fiery  than  the  trials  through  which  these  black 
troops  passed,  nor  my  conclusions  without  warrant  of 
truth  or  justification  of  evidence. 

I  trust  that  Congress  will  adopt  my  suggestion  and 
name  the  park  in  front  of  Howard  University  for  the 
brave  and  beautiful  young  colonel,  Robert  Gould  Shaw, 
and  there  erect  a  monument  to  the  Negro  soldiers  who  fell 
in  the  service  of  their  country.  It  would  be  a  deserved 
and  fitting  tribute  to  the  valor  of  the  Negro  soldier,  and 
would  have  a  beneficent  influence  upon  the  entire  people 
for  all  time  to  come. 

I  commit  this  story  of  the  Negro's  martial  prowess  to 
my  countrymen,  regardless  of  section  or  race,  creed  or  par- 
ty; entertaining  the  belief  that  neither  sectional  malice 
nor  party  rancor  can  ever  obliterate  a  record  that  is  now, 
happily  in  the  progress  of  events,  not  only  the  proud  and 
priceless  heritage  of  a  race,  but  the  glory  of  a  nation. 

GEOKGE  "W.  WILLIAMS. 
ETONIA,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C., 
July  31, 1886. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY:  NEGRO  SOLDIERS  IN  ANCIENT  TIMES     ....      1 

CHAPTER  II. 

NEGRO  SOLDIERS  IN  MODERN  TIMES 10 

CHAPTER  III. 

ANTECEDENT  PACTS. — FORESHADOWING  EVENTS 58 

CHAPTER  IV. 

MILITARY  RENDITION  OF   SLAVES 66 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  NEGRO  VOLUNTEER. — MILITARY  EMPLOYMENT   OF  NEGROES  .      81 

CHAPTER  VI. 

MILITARY  STATUS  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 145 

CHAPTER  VII. 

NEGRO  IDIOSYNCRACIES 167 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  OUTLOOK 170 

CHAPTER  IX. 

NEGRO   TROOPS   IN   BATTLE.  —  DEPARTMENT    OF  THE   SOUTH  (1802- 

1865) 181 

CHAPTER  X. 

IN  THE  MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY  (1863) , 214 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XI.  PACK 

IN  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC   (1S64) 231 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  FORT  PILLOW  MASSACRE  (1S64) 257 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

IN  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  CUMBERLAND  (1S64) 273 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  JAMES  (1865) 291 

CHAPTER  XV. 

AS  PRISONERS  OF  WAR 304 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  CLOUD  OF  WITNESSES 320 

INDEX 343 


THE   GILLMORE    MEDAL. 


GRAND  ARMY  BADGE. 


THE    BUTLER    MEDAL. 


A  HISTOET  OF  NEGRO  TEOOPS 

IN 

THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION, 

1861-1865. 


CHAPTER  I. 
INTRODUCTORY:  NEGRO  SOLDIERS  IN  ANCIENT  TIMES. 

THE  Negro  appears  in  the  military  history  of  Egypt 
for  the  first  time  in  the  Inscriptions  of  Una,  who  was 
crown-bearer,  or  Secretary  of  State,  under  King  Pepi  dur- 
ing the  Sixth  Dynasty.1  Down  to  this  time  the  Egyptian 
Empire  had  enjoyed  comparative  quiet,  but  the  Sixth  Dy- 
nasty clearly  marks  the  beginning  of  the  military  epoch. 
A  large  army  had  always  been  in  existence  in  Egypt,  but 
it  was  seldom  called  into  the  field.  The  military  class 
always  ranked  high,  coming  next  in  order  to  the  priest- 
hood," and  was  divided  into  two  distinct  parts.  Herod- 


1  The  Inscription  of  Una  was  found  by  M.  Mariette,  and  subse- 
quently placed  in  the  Museum  of  Boulaq,  at  Cairo.  It  was  translated 
by  the  late  Vicomte  Em  de  Rouge — "  Recherches  sur  les  Monuments : 
Six  Premieres  Dynasties,"  4to,  p.  117,  and  following,  pi.  7,  8.  Paris, 
1866;  Brugsch-Bey,  "Histoire  d'Egypte,"  8vo,  p.  70,  and  following. 
Leipzig,  1875. 

9  The  Egyptians  were  famous  for  classes;  and  in  order  to  show  the 
important  position  of  the  soldiers  the  subjoined  tajble  is  given.  The 


2 


A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


otus  estimates  the  strength  of  the  Egyptian  army  at 
410,000. l  On  an  average  of  five  persons  to  a  family,  his 
figures  would  bring  the  military  class  up  to  2,050,000. 
But  Diodorus  places  the  strength  of  the  army  at  692,000." 
The  same  family  average  brings  these  figures  up  to 
3,460,000.  This  constituted  the  entire  military  class.  The 
two  great  divisions  of  the  army  were  the  Hermotybies 
and  Calasiries.  The  latter  were  archers,  and  inhabited 
the  cantons  of  Thebes,  Bubastis,  Aphthis,  Tanis,  Mendes, 
Sebennytus,  Athribis,  Pharbsethus,  Thmuis,  Onuphis, 
Anysis,  and  Myecphoris.  With  the  single  exception  of 
Thebes,  these  districts  all  lay  within  the  Delta.  These 
Calasiries  numbered  about  250,000.  The  Hermotybies 
were  not  so  numerous,  and  inhabited  only  six  cantons : 
Busiris,  Sai's,  Papremis,  Prosopitis,  and  Natho,  also  in  the 
region  of  the  Delta,  with  Chemmis,  which  was  in  Upper 
Egypt.  These  troops  were  spearmen  and  chariot-riders, 
and  numbered  about  160,000.  The  population  of  Egypt 
(3000  B.C.)  was  about  7,500,000.  The  army,  when  on  war 
footing,  was  about  one-fourth  the  population ;  but  after 
it  was  recruited,  the  archers  or  infantry  were  disbanded 
and  sent  into  agricultural  districts.  But  the  largest  em- 
pires of  modern  Europe,  with  five  times  the  population 
of  Egypt,  find  a  standing  army  of  400,000  or  500,000 
men  an  enormous  burden.  An  army  of  large  proportions 

evidence  in  favor  of  the  position  of  the  soldiers  is  absolute.  The 
Negroes  must  have  obtained  great  favor  as  soldiers. 


Classes  of  Herodotus. 

Classes  of  Plato. 

Classes  of  Diodorus. 

1.  Priests. 
2.  Soldiers. 
3.  Cow-herds. 
4.  Swine-herds. 
5.  Traders. 

1.  Priests. 
2.  Soldiers. 
3.  Herdsmen. 
4.  Husbandmen. 
5.  Artificers. 

1.  Priests. 
2.  Soldiers. 
3.  Herdsmen. 
4.  Husbandmen. 
5.  Artificers. 

1  Herodotus,  book  ii.,  pp.  165, 166. 


1  Diodorus,  book  i.,  p.  54. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  3 

was  always  necessary  under  the  Egyptian  monarchy,  and 
a  cheap  army  became  a  matter  of  grave  concern. 

At  a  period  unknown  to  history  prior  to  the  Sixth 
Dynasty,  the  Negro  tribes  to  the  south  of  King  Pepi  be- 
came tributary  to  the  Egyptian  Empire.  In  the  second 
year  of  Pepi's  reign  he  put  his  army  into  the  field,  and 
his  troops  were  successful  against  the  Mentu.1  Elated 
with  this  success,  he  turned  his  victorious  arms  against 
the  Amu  and  Herusha,  two  peaceable  tribes  inhabiting 
the  desert  to  the  east  of  Lower  Egypt.  The  King  en- 
countered stout  fighting  from  these  children  of  the  des- 
ert, and  fearing  their  vengeful  spirit,  collected  and  drilled 
a  numerous  army.  The  nucleus  of  his  army  was  from  the 
native  Egyptians  in  the  north ;  but  he  soon  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  Negro  tribes  to  the  south,  from  among  which 
he  secured  thousands  of  black  levies.  "  His  Majesty  made 
soldiers  of  numerous  ten  thousands  in  the  land  of  the 
South.  .  .  .  The  Negroes  from  Nam,  the  Negroes  from 
Aman,  the  Negroes  from  Uauat,  the  Negroes  from  Kau, 
the  Negroes  from  the  land  of  Takam.  His  Majesty  placed 
me  at  head  of  that  army," a  says  Una. 

It  was  natural  that,  having  honored  these  Negroes  with 
the  Egyptian  uniform,  King  Pepi  should  place  Egyptian 
officers  over  them.  It  does  not  follow  either  that  the 
Negroes  were  degraded,  or  that  there  were  none  of  their 
number  capable  of  a  command.  The  high  and  important 
position  of  the  Egyptian  army,  the  severe  requirements 
of  its  drill  and  discipline,  and  the  exalted  social  position 
of  the  men  who  were  appointed  by  his  Majesty  as  officers 
in  this  vast  Negro  army,  are  creditable  to  the  rank  and 
file.  The  "  nomarchs,  the  chancellors,  the  sole  friends  of 


1  Birch's  "Ancient  Egypt,"  p.  52. 

2  "Records  of  the  Past,"  vol.  ii.,  pp.  4, 5. 


4  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

the  palace,  the  superintendents,  the  rulers  of  the  nomes 
of  the  North  and  South,  the  friends,  superintendents  of 
gold,  the  superintendent  of  the  priests  of  the  South  and 
North,  the  superintendents  of  the  register  and  at  the  head 
officers  of  the  South  and  the  land  of  the  North,  and  of  the 
cities,  [drilled]  the  Negroes  of  these  lands." l 

These  Negroes  evidently  had  won  a  reputation  for  sol- 
dierly qualities,  else  they  would  not  have  been  recruited 
for  service  in  the  Egyptian  army.  If  this  contingent  were 
a  "wild  and  disorderly  crew,"2  as  Professor  Rawlinson  as- 
serts, why  were  they  not  enslaved  and  sent  into  the  Delta 
to  perform  agricultural  labor  ?  No  modern  writer  on  an- 
cient Egypt  has  a,  stronger  claim  upon  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  student  of  history  than  Professor  Rawlinson, 
and  it  is  from  his  own  works  that  this  argument  is  derived. 
Several  things  are  patent.  The  eleventh  chapter  of  the 
first  volume  of  "Ancient  Egypt"  gives  a  minute  and 
graphic  account  of  the  constitution  of  the  Egyptian  army. 
He  deals  with  its  social  rank,  its  divisions,  numbers,  weap- 
ons, and  drill.  Thus  we  are  led  to  regard  superior  phys- 
ical qualifications  and  high  intelligence  as  necessary  to  se- 
cure admission  to  the  Egyptian  army.  The  professor 
will  no  doubt  concede  that  the  captor  in  Eastern  wars  had 
a  right  in  fee-simple  to  his  captive.  He  could  dispose  of 
his  labor,  sell  him,  or  take  his  life.  Professor  Rawlinson 
says,  "  In  war  many  cruel  and  barbarous  customs  prevailed. 
Captives  were  either  reduced  to  slavery  or  put  to  death." 3 
This  is  strong  and  conclusive.  These  Negroes  could  not 
have  been  captives.  Professor  Rawlinson  must  find  an  ex- 
planation, however,  for  the  employment  of  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  Negroes  by  King  Pepi. 

1  "  Records  of  the  Past,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  5. 

2  "Ancient  Egypt,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  108. 
*  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  372. 


IN  THE   WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  5 

He  says,  "  It  is  remarkable  that  we  find  the  negro  races 
of  the  South  already  subdued,  without  any  previous  notice 
in  any  of  the  Egyptian  remains  of  the  time  or  circum- 
stances of  their  subjugation.  .  .  .  We  find  the  negroes 
already  obedient  subjects  of  Pepi  when  they  are  first  men- 
tioned as  coming  into  contact  with  him ;  and  his  enlistment 
of  them  as  soldiers  to  fight  his  battles  would  seem  to  im- 
ply that  their  subjugation  had  not  been  very  recent.  It 
is  necessary  to  suppose  that  some  monarch  of  the  Fourth  or 
Fifth  Dynasty  had  made  them  Egyptian  subjects,  without 
leaving  behind  him  any  record  of  the  fact,  or,  at  any  rate, 
without  leaving  any  record  that  has  escaped  destruction."  * 

But  such  an  inference  disregards  the  custom  universal 
in  ancient  times  of  reducing  subjugated  nations  or  tribes 
to  slavery."  Yet  there  is  no  reference  to  the  enslavement 
of  Negroes  up  to  this  time,  nor  are  they  depicted  as  cap- 
tives in  the  monuments  or  pictures  connected  with  the 
military  campaigns  of  the  five  preceding  dynasties.  If 
these  Negroes  were  a  "wild  and  disorderly  crew,"  why 
should  "nomarchs  and  chancellors,  the  sole  friends  of  the 
palace,"  aspire  to  commissions  as  their  officers  ?  Evident- 
ly because  their  valor  and  prowess  were  well  known,  and 
it  was  esteemed  an  honor  to  lead  them  in  battle.  And 
this  conclusion  is  borne  out  by  the  deportment  of  these 
troops  in  the  campaigns  through  which  they  subsequently 
passed. 

When  the  work  of  drilling  this  vast  Negro  army  was 
completed,  it  was  moved  into  the  enemy's  country.  The 
precise  location  of  the  country  invaded  is  not  certain. 
Some  Egyptologists  locate  it  in  Syria,  and  others  think  it 
was  in  Arabia  Petrsea.  The  latest  researches  indicate  the 
region  about  Lake  Menzaleh.  In  any  case,  the  country 

1  "Ancient  Egypt,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  110. 

2  Hurd's  "Laws  of  Bondage  and  Freedom." 


6  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

was  distant  and  the  marching  difficult.  It  must  have  been 
an  inspiring  spectacle  to  behold  a  large  and  imposing  army 
of  Negroes,  officered  and  drilled  by  the  most  accomplished 
native  Egyptians,  marching  out  from  the  imperial  metrop- 
olis !  These  troops  went  out  from  the  imperial  presence 
to  battle  for  a  venerable  government  whose  potency  the 
Orient  had  long  ago  felt  and  acknowledged.  The  black 
army  must  have  felt  the  enthusiasm  of  the  occasion. 
These  black  soldiers  spoke  another  language,  were  from 
another  land,  and  had  felt  the  influence  of  another  and 
widely  different  civilization.  No  doubt  the  Nile  and  the 
Delta  had  resounded  with  the  exploits  of  the  veterans  that 
formed  the  strength  of  this  Negro  army,  and  new  perils 
and  new  glories  awaited  them.  Five  battles  were  fought 
during  this  campaign,  in  all  of  which  the  Negro  troops 
were  victorious.  Una,  the  historian  of  the  campaign,  fur- 
nishes the  following  account : 

"  The  warriors  came  and  destroyed  the  land  of  the  He- 
rusha,  and  returned  fortunately  home;  and  they  came 
again,  and  took  possession  of  the  land  of  the  Herusha,  and 
returned  fortunately  home;  and  they  came  and  demol- 
ished the  fortresses  of  the  Herusha,  and  returned  fortu- 
nately home ;  and  they  cut  down  the  vines  and  fig-trees, 
and  returned  fortunately  home ;  and  they  set  fire  to  the 
houses,  and  returned  fortunately  home ;  and  they  killed 
the  chief  men  by  tens  of  thousands,  and  returned  fortu- 
nately home.  And  the  warriors  brought  back  with  them 
a  great  number  of  living  captives,  which  pleased  the  King 
more  than  all  thevrest.  Five  times  did  the  King  send  me 
out  to  set  things  right  in  the  land  of  the  Herusha,  and  to 
subdue  their  revolt  by  force ;  each  time  I  acted  so  that 
the  King  was  pleased  with  me." ' 

1  Vicomte  de  Rouge's  "Recherches,"p.  125. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  7 

It  would  seem  that  after  so  thorough  a  campaign,  in 
which  fields,  forts,  and  houses  were  destroyed,  in  addition 
to  the  frightful  slaughter  the  Herusha  sustained,  there 
would  be  no  necessity  for  a  renewal  of  hostilities.  But  an- 
other'expedition  was  made  by  water.  Una  says,  "Safe- 
ly to  Takhisa  I  sailed  again  in  boats  with  this  force.  I 
subdued  this  country  from  the  extreme  frontier  on  the 
North  of  the  land  of  Herusha." '  The  troops  were  landed, 
and  the  fighting  was  pushed  with  vigor  and  skill.  The 
enemy  was  defeated  and  subdued  to  the  extreme  border 
towards  the  North. 

This  had  not  been  a  constructive  period  ;  but  now  that 
a  successful  war  had  been  waged  against  King  Pepi's  ene- 
mies, the  Negro  troops  were  recalled,  and  arts  and  archi- 
tecture revived.  What  became  of  this  enormous  Negro 
army  is  not  known.  It  appears  suddenly  upon  the  page 
of  Egyptian  history,  achieves  signal  success  for  the  an- 
cient empire,  and  then  disappears  from  view.  This  may 
or  may  not  have  been  the  first  time  Negroes  were  largely 
employed  as  soldiers  by  the  Egyptians.  Like  many  an- 
other important  event,  the  record  of  an  earlier  employ- 
ment of  troops  of  this  character  may  have  perished. 

The  military  paintings  connected  with  the  campaigns 
of  the  Egyptians  during  the  Eighteenth  Dynasty  represent 
Negro  soldiers  as  numerous.  They  formed  the  strength 
of  the  army  of  Shishak,  king  of  Egypt,  in  971  B.C.,  when 
that  intrepid  monarch  marched  against  Rehoboam.  King 
Shishak's  tomb  was  opened  in  1849,  and  his  depicted  army, 
including  an  exact  representation  of  the  genuine  Negro ' 
race,  in  color,  physiognomy,  and  hair.  Negroes  were  also 
found  in  large  numbers  in  the  armies  under  Sesostris  and 
Xerxes. 

J  "Records  of  the  Past, "vol.  ii.,  p.  6. 


8  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

There  is  ample  and  trustworthy  evidence  of  the  stable 
national  government  and  high  social  organization  attained 
by  the  Negro  tribes  in  the  East  before  the  Christian  era. 

Mr.  Wilkinson,  the  famous  Egyptologist,  opened  a  re- 
markable Theban  tomb,  and  in  1840  Harris  and  Gliddon 
made  a  very  careful  examination  of  it.  It  abounds  in 
Negro  scenes,  one  of  which  is  described  as  follows :  "  A 
negress,  apparently  a  princess,  arrives  at  Thebes,  drawn 
in  a  plaustrum  by  a  pair  of  humped  oxen  —  the  driver 
and  groom  being  red-colored  Egyptians,  and,  one  might 
almost  infer,  eunuchs.  Following  her  are  multitudes  of 
negroes  and  Nubians,  bringing  tribute  from  the  upper 
country,  as  well  as  black  slaves  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages, 
among  which  are  some  red  children,  whose  fathers  were 
Egyptians.  The  cause  of  her  advent  seems  to  have  been 
to  make  offering  in  this  tomb  of  a  'royal  son  of  Ke  Sh- 
Amunoph,'  who  may  have  been  her  husband." ' 

It  is  evident  that  the  Negro  government  whose  repre- 
sentative this  princess  was  maintained  a  military  establish- 
ment. 

During  the  reign  of  Rameses  III.,  a  Negro  king  appears 
at  the  head  of  fourteen  captured  princes  in  the  sculptures 
of  Medinet-Abou.* 

From  about  three  thousand  years  before  the  Christian 
era,  until  the  birth  and  establishment  of  Christianity,  there 
is  an  unbroken  chain  of  historical  evidence  of  the  military 
employment  of  Negroes.  Christianity  came  breathing  its 
spirit  of  hope  and  charity  into  the  dead  and  empty  for- 
malisms of  the  period,  and  the  clash  of  arms  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  fierce  controversial  spirit  of  the  theologians. 
The  dreadful  carnage  of  war  did  not  cease,  but  the  thea- 

1  "  Types  of  Mankind,"  p.  262.     1854. 

2  Brugsch-Bey's  "Hist.  d'Egypte,"  vol.  i.,  pp.  150,  151. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  9 

tre  of  strife  was  transferred  from  the  Orient  to  the  Occi- 
dent. The  Eastern  world  had  fought  its  way  to  the  front 
line  of  martial  fame.  Its  colossal  civilization  had  risen 
gradually  through  centuries  of  painful  effort.  It  had 
reached  the  danger-line;  and  then  the  effulgent  morning 
of  its  primal  glory  was  succeeded  by  the  gloaming  of  its 
barbarous  and  costly  wars,  and  yet  later  by  the  starless 
night  of  its  irreparable  decay.  Christianity  turned  her 
radiant  face  to  the  West,  and  all  behind  her  was  darkness, 
silence,  and  death.  For  more  than  sixteen  hundred  years 
the  Negro's  hands  were  empty  of  his  weapons.  Western 
and  north-western  Europe  were  the  scene  of  the  struggle 
for  Christian  civilization.  The  Negro  was  not  needed  in 
such  a  struggle,  in  such  a  climate.  During  all  these  cen- 
turies no  facile  pen  traces  the  history  of  the  Negro  nations 
in  the  East.  They  were  left  entirely  to  themselves  for 
sixteen  centuries.  The  problems  propounded  by  Chris- 
tianity— discovery,  empire,  letters,  and  liberty — could  well 
dispense  with  the  remorseless  military  audacity  of  the 
Negro. 


10  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


CHAPTER  II. 

NEGKO    SOLDIERS    IN    MODERN    TIMES. 

IT  was  about  fifteen  centuries  from  the  time  the  Negro 
disappeared  from  the  page  of  the  world's  history  until  his 
reappearance.  The  Gospel  of  Peace  had  rendered  the  po- 
tent arms  of  his  victorious  warfare  impotent  and  obsolete. 
The  spirit  of  geography  and  discovery  which  thrilled  the 
continents  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries  revived 
interest  in  the  Negro.  But  it  was  interest  for  him  and  not 
interest  in  him.  Spain  and  Portugal,  France  and  Italy, 
Germany  and  England,  either  by  discovery  or  conquest, 
had  extended  their  landed  domains.  The  great  distances 
of  the  new  possessions  from  the  seat  of  these  European 
empires  gave  rise  to  problems  of  vast  meaning  and  diffi- 
cult of  solution.  The  contiguity  of  these  great  States  ren- 
dered necessary  enormous  standing  armies  to  watch  each 
other  at  all  times,  and  this  state  of  affairs  made  labor 
dear  and  laborers  scarce.  The  distant  possessions,  at  a 
time  when  steam  was  unknown,  could  be  reached  only  by 
officials  or  the  opulent.  Avarice  and  necessity  seized  upon 
Caucasian  convicts  and  Negro  slaves  to  solve  the  labor 
problem  in  North  America. 

During  the  three  hundred  years  in  which  the  Latin, 
Germanic,  and  English  speaking  races  were  engaged  in 
robbing  Africa  of  Negroes  for  the  nefarious  traffic  in  hu- 
man flesh,  the  Negro  was  a  non-combatant.  He  not  only 
did  not  fight,  he  scarcely  ever  offered  a  protest.  To  him 
war  was  a  lost  art,  and  the  word  resistance  had  no  place 


IN   THE   WAR  OF   THE   REBELLION.  11 

in  his  scanty  vocabulary.  Three  centuries  of  servitude  to 
the  dominant  races  of  the  world  were  not  without  their 
lessons  to  the  docile  Negro.  From  the  dark  night  of  sav- 
agehood  he  moved  into  the  gray  dawn  of  civilization.  He 
occasionally  felt  the  influence  of  some  great  impulse  tow- 
ards humanity,  and  was  doubtless  conscious,  to  a  certain 
degree,  of  the  great  civilizing  forces  that  were  turning  the 
flood-tides  in  the  affairs  of  the  nations  he  was  serving. 
The  tendencies  towards  republican  government  in  France, 
and  the  struggle  for  independence  in  America,  like  a  great 
magnetic  current,  electrified  the  Negro's  heart,  and  the 
old  love  of  valor  and  liberty  went  singing  through  his 
soul. 

In  his  place  upon  the  cotton,  rice,  and  tobacco  planta- 
tions of  the  British  colonies  in  North  America,  he  heard 
the  sullen  complaint  of  Americans  against  magisterial  au- 
tocracy and  parliamentary  encroachments ;  arid  from  his 
insular  home  in  the  Antilles  he  heard  the  low  reverbera- 
tion of  the  French  Revolution,  and  later,  the  shock  of  em- 
battled arms.  Here  in  America  he  aided  the  colonies  to 
achieve  independent  autonomy ;  there  in  the  Antilles  he 
fought  his  way  to  freedom  through  the  veteran  ranks  of 
Spanish  and  French  soldiery,  and  made  his  way  to  self- 
government  over  the  avarice  and  personal  ambition  of 
slave-holding  planters. 

In  the  vast  system  of  militia  and  "  minute-men  "  that 
guarded  the  young  colonies  in  America  against  the  savage 
depredations  of  the  aborigines,  the  Negro  bore  an  honora- 
ble part.1  In  the  southern  colonies  he  was  assigned  to  fa- 
tigue duty  chiefly,  although  compelled  "to  train"  with 
his  company.  In  Massachusetts  he  was  found  upon  the 
foremost  wave  of  popular  indignation  at  the  quartering  of 

1  Palfrey's  "History  of  New  England,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  30,  note. 


12  A  HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

soldiers  upon  the  colonists ;  and  "  the  shot  that  was  heard 
around  the  world  "  felled  the  stalwart  form  of  the  patriot 
Negro,  Crispus  Attucks.1  "When  the  Revolutionary  war 
began,  the  Negro  was  alert.  Ministerial  and  Continental 
authorities  appealed  to  his  courage  as  a  man  and  his  valor 
as  a  soldier.  He  was  found  under  the  standards  of  both 
armies ;  but  his  idiosyncratic  instinct  led  him  into  sympa- 
thy with  the  American  cause.  His  power  of  assimilation 
made  him  intensely  American,  and  gave  him,  in  his  new 
home,  his  alphabet  of  thought.  He  did  not  reason  about 
British  aggression,  he  read  the  cabalistic  meaning  in  stir- 
ring events ;  and  his  patriotism  outran  all  the  reasoning 
of  the  colonists,  and  was  early  in  the  breach  between  lib- 
erty and  tyranny.  He  was  conspicuous  at  the  first  great 
battle  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  by  deeds  of  valor 
inscribed  his  name  high  up  upon  the  scroll  of  fame.11  One 
of  the  most  decisive  events  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
June  17,  1775,  was  the  death  of  the  British  major,  Pit- 
cairn,  at  the  hands  of  private  Peter  Salem,  of  Colonel  Nix- 
on's regiment  of  the  Continental  army.8  No  one  has  ever 
disputed  the  claim  of  the  Negro  soldier  to  this  deed  of 
valor ;  and  the  silvern  lips  of  the  most  polished  orator  of 
Massachusetts  have  spoken  his  praise  in  measured  sen- 
tences and  rounded  periods.4  Nor  was  this  all.  Another 
Negro  soldier  distinguished  himself  ;  and  so  great  was  the 
impression  that  he  created  that  fourteen  American  officers 
commended  his  valor  to  the  Congress.  The  memorial  was 
dated  at  Cambridge,  December  5, 1775,  and  recited  "  that, 
under  our  own  observation,  we  declare  that  a  negro  man 
called  Salem  Poor,  of  Colonel  Frye's  regiment,  Captain 

1  Adams's  Works,  vol.  ii.,  p.  322. 

2  Bancroft,  vol.  vii.,  p.  421.    Sixth  edition. 

8  Washburn's  "History  of  Leicester, "p.  267. 

4  "Orations  and  Speeches  of  Everett,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  529. 


IN   THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  13 

Ame's  company,  in  the  late  battle  at  Charlestown,  behaved 
like  an  experienced  officer,  as  well  as  an  excellent  soldier. 
To  set  forth  particulars  of  his  conduct  would  be  tedious. 
We  would  only  beg  leave  to  say,  in  the  person  of  this  said 
negro  centres  a  brave  and  gallant  soldier.  The  reward 

O  O 

due  to  so  great  and  distinguished  a  character  we  submit 
to  the  Congress." ' 

The  random  shots  at  Lexington,  in  April,  1775,  had 
brought  the  eastern  colonies  to  their  feet.  In  the  grand 
rally  for  the  protection  of  their  homes  and  personal  rights, 
the  colonists  paid  little  regard  to  the  Negroes  who  rallied 
also  in  great  numbers  and  with  patriotic  spirit.  In  the 
initial  battles  they  had  shared  the  perils  of  the  Continental 
militia  and  pastoral  minute-men.  Most  of  them  were  free- 
men, and  naturally  felt  it  their  duty  to  share  the  perils  of 
freemen,  and  consequently  were  scattered  throughout  the 
American  forces. 

But  when  the  smoke  of  Lexington,  Concord,  and  Bunker 
Hill  had  cleared  away,  and  the  presence  of  Negroes  was  ob- 
served in  the  army,  considerable  feeling  prevailed  against 
them.  On  the  29th  of  May,  1775,  the  "  Committee  of 
Safety "  for  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  deemed 
the  question  of  the  employment  of  Negroes  as  soldiers  of 
great  importance.  A  resolve  *  was  passed  reciting  that  the 
contest  was  between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies,  and 
concerned  the  liberties  of  the  latter ;  and  that  the  admis- 
sion into  the  army  of  any  persons  as  soldiers  except  free- 
men would  reflect  dishonor  on  the  colony ;  "  and  that  no 
slaves  be  admitted  into  this  army  upon  any  consideration 
whatever."  On  the  6th  of  June  the  committee  enter- 
tained a  resolve  for  the  admission  of  slaves  into  the  army, 


"MS.  Archives  of  Massachusetts,"  vol.  clxxx.,  p.  241. 
"Journal  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts, "  p.  553. 


14:  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

but  it  was  finally  "  ordered  to  lie  on  the  table  for  further 
consideration." '  The  majority  of  the  committee  opposed 
the  employment  of  Negroes,  and  public  sentiment  did  not 
condemn  this  action.  The  army  at  Cambridge  was  great- 
ly influenced  by  the  attitude  of  the  people  of  the  province. 
On  the  10th  of  July,  General  Gates,  in  his  instructions  to 
recruiting  officers,  forbade  the  enlistment  of  "  any  stroller, 
negro,  or  vagabond."4  But  the  fact  remains  that  many 
Negroes  had  secured  a  place  in  the  army,  and  honorably 
kept  it  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Bancroft  records  the 
fact  that  "  the  roll  of  the  army  at  Cambridge  had  from  its 
first  formation  borne  the  names  of  men  of  color." s  He 
adds,  "Free  negroes  stood  in  the  ranks  by  the  side  of 
white  men.  In  the  beginning  of  the  war  they  entered  the 
Provincial  army ;  the  first  general  order  which  was  issued 
by  Ward  had  required  a  return,4  among  other  things,  of 
the '  complexion  '  of  the  soldiers,  and  black  men  like  oth- 
ers were  retained  in  the  service  after  the  troops  were 
adopted  by  the  continent." "  In  the  mean  while  this  ques- 
tion of  the  military  status  of  the  Negro,  which  had  begun 
as  a  local  matter,  had  grown  to  Continental  proportions. 
On  the  29th  of  September  the  Continental  Congress  was 
the  scene  of  an  animated  debate  over  a  draft  of  a  letter  to 
General  Washington,  reported  by  Lynch,  Lee,  and  Adams. 
Mr.  Rutledge,  of  South  Carolina,  offered  an  amendment 
instructing  the  commander-in-chief  to  discharge  all  free 
Negroes  and  slaves  in  the  army.  The  southern  delegates 

1  "Journal  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,"  p.  802. 
8  Moore's  "Diary  of  the  American  Revolution,"  vol.  i.,  p.  110. 

3  Bancroft,  vol.  viii.,  p.  110.     1860. 

4  Ibid. ,  vol.  viii. ,  pp.  232,  233.    1860. 

*  I  examined  the  muster-rolls  or  descriptive  lists  of  the  army  at  Cam- 
bridge, and  found  this  statement  correct.  I  have  now  a  large  list  of 
Negro  soldiers  of  the  army  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts. — G.  W.  W. 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  15 

supported  the  amendment  with  spirit ;  but  it  was  defeated. 
On  the  8th  of  October  a  council  of  war  was  held  at  Gen- 
eral Washington's  headquarters.  General  Washington  pre- 
sided. There  were  three  Major-generals — Ward,  Lee,  and 
Putman — and  six  Brigadier -generals — Thomas,  Spencer, 
Heath,  Sullivan,  Greene,  and  Gates.  The  arming  of  Ne- 
groes was  canvassed  with  the  deepest  concern.  Two  ques- 
tions were  considered ;  first,  whether  any  Negroes  ought  to 
be  enlisted  "  in  the  new  army ;"  second,  whether  a  distinc- 
tion should  be  made  "  between  such  as  are  slaves  and  those 
who  are  free."  The  record  of  this  "  council  of  war"  upon 
the  employment  of  Negroes  as  soldiers  is  explicit.  "It 
was  agreed  unanimously  to  reject  all  slaves,  and  by  a  great 
majority  to  reject  negroes  altogether." 

When  the  action  of  this  council  of  war  became  known 
it  had  a  depressing  influence  upon  the  Negro  population  of 
the  eastern  colonies.  The  free  Negroes  began  to  discuss 
the  situation,  and  a  spirit  of  unrest  pervaded  the  slave 
class.  The  Negro  was  seriously  discussed  as  a  subject  of 
public  interest.  Although  the  Provincial  Congress  of 
Massachusetts  and  the  council  of  war  at  Cambridge  had 
voted  the  Negro  unworthy  of  the  Continental  uniform, 
there  was  still  a  disposition  to  consider  the  matter  further. 
On  the  18th  of  October  a  committee  of  conference  was 
convened  at  Cambridge  to  take  into  consideration  the  ren- 
ovation and  reorganization  of  the  army.  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, Thomas  Lynch,  and  Benjamin  Harrison,  with  the  dep- 
uty governors  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  General 
Washington,  and  the  Committee  of  Safety  for  Massachu- 
setts, constituted  the  conference.  The  Negro  question  en- 
tered into  their  deliberations,  and  fared  as  it  had  on  pre- 
vious occasions — both  free  and  slave  Negroes  were  "re- 
jected altogether." 

The  adverse  action  of  three  distinct  bodies,  each  of  them 


16  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

authoritative  in  its  way,  seemed  to  settle  the  fate  of  the 
Negroes  who  stood  waiting  to  bear  arms  in  the  public  de- 
fence. It  might  be  imagined  that  this  action  was  the  ex- 
pression of  public  sentiment  upon  the  military  employment 
of  the  Negro,  but  it  was  not.  The  masses  had  scarcely  had 
time  to  recover  from  the  shock  of  an  unexpected  and  un- 
provoked assault  upon  their  liberties.  There  had  been  no 
adequate  expression  of  public  opinion  upon  the  employ- 
ment of  Negroes  as  soldiers.  The  most  influential  jour- 
nals of  the  colonies  were  issued  weekly  or  semi-monthly. 
Their  columns  were  ablaze  with  patriotic  appeals  to  the 
people  to  stand  for  the  rights  guaranteed  to  them  by  the 
British  Magna,  Charta.  They  had  not  considered  the 
subject  of  placing  arms  in  the  hands  of  black  allies,  but 
the  discontent  of  the  Negroes  themselves  forced  the  ques- 
tion to  popular  consideration. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Royalists  were  awake  to  all  that 
occurred  within  the  lines  of  their  enemy.  The  Earl  of 
Dunmore,  who  was  Governor-general  of  the  colony  of  Vir- 
ginia, saw  the  dangerous  policy  of  the  Continental  author- 
ities, and  grasped  the  situation.  On  the  7th  of  November 
he  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  slaves  of  Virginia  from  on 
board  the  ship  William,  off  Norfolk.  He  declared  "all 
indented  servants,  negroes  or  others  (appertaining  to  Reb- 
els), free,  that  are  able  and  willing  to  bear  arms,  they  join- 
ing his  ifliajestie's  troops  as  soon  as  may  be." ' 

This  coup  de  maitre  arrested  the  opposition  to  the  em- 
ployment of  Negroes  as  Continental  troops,  and  threw  the 
entire  Negro  population  into  violent  excitement.  No  civil 
or  military  official  could  be  found  now  to  oppose  the  en- 
listment of  Negroes  in  the  army  at  Cambridge.  Large 
bodies  of  Negroes  sought  the  towns,  and  agricultural  work 

1  "American  Archives,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  1385.     Fourth  Series. 


IN   THE   WAR   OF  THE   REBELLION.  17 

was  generally  abandoned.  Little  effort  was  made  to  keep 
the  Negro  within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  old  slave  code. 
He  was  the  most  difficult  and  dangerous  problem  of  the 
hour.  On  the  12th  of  November,  before  hearing  of  Lord 
Dumnore's  proclamation,  General  Washington  issued  in- 
structions to  recruiting  officers  forbidding  the  enlistment 
of  Negroes.1  From  the  1st  of  July  to  the  late  autumn  of 
1775  there  had  been  constant  and  unremitting  opposition 
in  official  circles  to  the  enlistment  of  Negroes  beside  those 
who  had  served  at  Bunker  Hill  on  the  17th  of  June. 
There  was  even  loud  complaint  against  the  retention  of 
those  already  in  the  army — not,  indeed,  in  the  eastern  col- 
onies, but  from  the  South.  In  a  letter  to  John  Adams, 
then  in  Congress,  dated  October  24, 1775,  General  Thomas 
wrote :  "  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  any  prejudice  should  take 
place  in  any  southern  colony  with  respect  to  the  troops 
raised  in  this.  .  .  .  We  have  some  negroes,  but  I  look  on 
them  in  general  equally  serviceable  with  other  men  for 
fatigue,  and  in  action  many  of  them  have  proved  them- 
selves brave." 

But  notwithstanding  the  feeling  in  the  southern  colo- 
nies, where  the  Tory  element  was  strongest,  and  where 
slaves  were  most  numerous,  the  gravity  of  the  situation 
had  greatly  tempered  public  sentiment  on  this  question. 
In  the  early  autumn,  on  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  Sep- 
tember, John  Adams  wrote  an  account  of  an  interview 
with  Messrs.  Bullock  and  Houston,  from  Georgia.  He 
thus  reports  them :  "  They  say  that  if  one  thousand  regu- 
lar troops  should  land  in  Georgia,  and  their  commander  be 
provided  with  arms  and  clothes  enough,  and  proclaim  free- 
dom to  all  the  negroes  who  would  join  his  camp,  twenty 
thousand  negroes  would  join  it  from  the  two  provinces  in 


1  Sparks's  "Washington,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  155,  note. 

2 


18  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

a  fortnight.  The  Negroes  have  a  wonderful  art  of  com- 
municating intelligence  among  themselves ;  it  will  run 
several  hundreds  of  miles  in  a  week  or  fortnight." ' 

Lord  Dunmore's  proclamation  was  working  most  effect- 
ually. The  Negroes  were  flocking  to  the  ministerial  stand- 
ards. The  planters  and  Federalists  were  in  consternation. 
On  the  23d  of  November  a  Williamsburg  (Ya.)  paper  is- 
sued a  carefully  drafted  proclamation  of  "  Caution  to  the 
Negroes,"  intended  to  stop  the  stampede  and  win  them 
back  to  the  Federalists.  "  They  "  [the  negroes],  ran  the 
proclamation,  "  have  been  flattered  with  their  freedom  if 
they  be  able  to  bear  arms,  and  will  speedily  join  Lord 
Dunmore's  troops.  To  none,  then,  is  freedom  prom- 
ised but  to  such  as  are  able  to  do  Lord  Dunmore  serv- 
ice,"3 etc. 

Lord  Dunmore  had  by  this  time  gathered  quite  a  large 
number  of  Negroes  into  his  army,  and  at  the  battle  of 
Kemp's  Landing  they  behaved  like  veterans.  They  met 
three  companies  of  white  troops  and  delivered  battle ; 
when  one  of  the  companies  broke,  the  ex-slaves  pursued 
and  captured  it.3 

Every  day  increased  the  peril  of  the  colonial  cause. 
The  Virginia  Convention  issued  an  answer  to  Lord  Dun- 
more's proclamation  on  the  13th  of  December,  and  on  the 
day  following  published  a  proclamation  "  offering  pardon 
to  such  slaves  as  shall  return  to  their  duty  within  ten  days 
after  the  publication  thereof." 4 

Only  one  month  had  passed  since  General  Washington, 
on  November  12th,  had  officially  forbidden  the  enlistment 


1  Adams's  Works,  vol.  ii.,  p.  428. 

2  Force's  "  American  Archives,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  1387.     Fourth  Series. 

3  Ibid.,  vol.  iv.,  p.  202.     Fourth  Series. 

4  Ibid.,  vol.  iv.,  pp.84,  85.    Fourth  Series. 


IN   THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  19 

of  Negroes.  The  events  of  five  weeks  had  changed  his 
mind.  On  the  15th  of  December  he  wrote  to  Joseph 
Reed :  "  If  the  Virginians  are  wise,  that  arch-traitor  to  the 
rights  of  humanity,  Lord  Dunmore,  should  be  instantly 
crushed,  if  it  takes  the  force  of  the  whole  army  to  do  it. 
.  .  .  But  that  which  renders  the  measure  indispensably 
necessary  is  the  negroes,  for,  if  he  gets  formidable,  num- 
bers of  them  will  be  tempted  to  join  who  will  be  afraid  to 
do  it  without." J 

But  the  commander- in -chief  of  the  Continental  army 
did  not  know  that  numbers  of  Negroes  had  already  joined 
Lord  Dunmore's  forces.  All  of  the  disastrous  news  from 
Virginia  was  kept  from  the  army  at  Cambridge,  as  far  as 
possible.  Two  weeks  after  this  letter  to  Joseph  Reed,  on 
the  30th  of  December,  "Washington,  in  General  Orders,  au- 
thorized the  enlistment  of  "  free  negroes."  On  the  follow- 
ing day  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Congress  announcing  that  he 
had  ordered  the  enlistment  of  free  Negroes  against  the  de- 
cision of  that  august  body,  adding,  however,  that  he  would 
"  put  a  stop  to  it "  if  objection  were  made."  Fas  est  ab 
hoste  doceri  !  Congress  took  no  further  action ;  and  near- 
ly every  one  of  the  colonies  secured  legislation  by  which 
slaves  were  encouraged  to  enlist  by  the  offer  of  emancipa- 
tion. This  new  policy  met  with  instant  success  ;  and  the 
masters,  receiving  a  handsome  sum  for  the  enlistment  of 
their  slaves,  turned  recruiting  officers.  Considering  the 
numerical  strength  of  the  united  colonies,  one  half  million 
slaves  were  not  to  be  disregarded.  At  the  commencement 
of  the  war  the  slave  population  in  the  colonies  was  esti- 
mated as  follows : 


"  Life  and  Correspondence  of  Joseph  Reed,"  vol.  i.,  p.  135. 
Sparks's  "Washington,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  218. 


20  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Negroes. 

Massachusetts 3,500 

Rhode  Island 4,373 

Connecticut 5,000 

New  Hampshire 629 

New  York 15,000 

New  Jersey 7,600 

Pennsylvania 10,000 

Delaware 9,000 

Maryland 80,000 

Virginia 165,000 

North  Carolina 75,000 

South  Carolina 110,000 

Georgia 16,000 

Total 501,102 

besides  a  considerable  population  of  free  Negroes.  And, 
whatever  the  feeling  may  have  been,  and  wherever  it  may 
have  been  manifested,  the  free  Negroes  who  entered  the 
Continental  army  at  the  commencement  of  hostilities  re- 
mained, and  by  various  ways,  and  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances, others  enlisted  from  time  to  time.  Many  free  Ne- 
groes, scattered  through  New  England  towns,  who  had 
won  by  upright,  industrious  lives  a  secure  place  in  public 
confidence,  joined  local  companies  without  remonstrance 
or  remark.  When  those  companies  were  accepted  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  army  at  Cambridge,  the  Negro  patriots 
were  not  excluded.  "  The  negro  can  take  the  field,"  wrote 
a  Hessian  officer,  October  23, 1777,  "  instead  of  his  master; 
and  therefore  no  regiment  is  to  be  seen  in  which  there  are 
not  negroes  in  abundance,  and  among  them  there  are  able- 
bodied,  strong,  and  brave  fellows.  Here,  too,  there  are 
many  families  of  free  negroes,  who  live  in  good  houses, 
have  property,  and  live  just  like  the  rest  of  the  inhabit- 
ants." l 

1  Schloezer's  "  Brief wechsel,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  365. 


IN  THE   WAR  OF   THE   REBELLION.  21 

The  time  came  when  slaves  were  solicited  to  don  the 
Continental  uniform.  Lord  Duninore's  influence  with  the 
Negroes  began  to  wane.  His  proclamation  had  had  more 
influence  upon  the  Continental  authorities  than  upon  the 
slaves.  It  constrained  the  former  to  act  in  order  to  coun- 
ter its  influence ;  and  its  narrow  provisions,  giving  free- 
dom only  to  such  as  would  enter  his  Majesty's  service,  led 
the  latter  to  doubt  its  genuineness,  or  the  motive  that  in- 
spired it.  On  the  30th  of  March,  1776,  nearly  five  months 
after  the  issuance  of  his  proclamation,  Lord  Dunmore  re- 
ported his  failure  to  raise  a  black  regiment  in  Virginia  to 
the  home  government.  "A  fever  crept  in  amongst  them 
which  carried  off  a  great  many  very  fine  fellows,"  he  wrote 
the  home  secretary.  And  on  the  26th  of  June  he  wrote : 
"  Had  it  not  been  for  this  horrid  disorder,  I  am  satisfied 
I  should  have  had  two  thousand  blacks,  with  whom  I 
should  have  had  no  doubt  of  penetrating  into  the  heart  of 
this  colony."  * 

But  Dunmore  was  not  the  only  royalist  pursuing  a  pa- 
cific policy  towards  the  Negroes.  On  the  21st  of  July,  1776, 
Brigadier  -  general  Nathaniel  Greene,  from  his  camp  on 
Long  Island,  notified  General  Washington  that  his  latest 
advice  from  the  enemy's  lines  was  that  he  was  about  or- 
ganizing a  regiment  of  Negroes  "  eight  hundred  "  strong.3 
At  the  siege  of  Augusta,  in  1781,  Fort  Cornwallis  "  was 
garrisoned  by  four  hundred  men  in  addition  to  two  hun- 
dred negroes."  On  the  28th  of  February,  1781,  General 
Greene  wrote  General  "Washington  from  North  Carolina : 
"  The  enemy  have  ordered  two  regiments  of  negroes  to  be 
immediately  embodied." 3  But  the  great  majority  of  Negro 
soldiers  fought  on  the  side  of  independence.  Negro  levies 

1  Force's  "American  Archives,"  vol.  ii.,  pp.  160,  162.    Fifth  Series. 

9  Ibid.,  vol.  i.,  p.  486.   Fifth  Series. 

8  "Journals  of  Congress,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  26. 


22 


A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 


for  the  Continental  army  were  sought  with  intelligent  zeal 
in  all  the  colonies.  Congress  left  the  matter  of  raising  troops 
to  fill  the  quota  of  each  colony  with  the  local  authorities. 
On  the  16th  of  January,  1776,  Congress  gave  permission  to 
the  free  Negroes  of  Massachusetts,  whose  first  term  of  en- 
listment had  expired,  to  re-enlist  in  the  army  at  Cam- 
bridge.1 But  even  before  a  general  policy  of  emancipa- 
tion and  military  employment  of  Negroes  as  soldiers  had 
been  adopted,  a  large  number  had  enlisted  in  the  Eastern 
army.  The  following  official  return  gives  the  number  of 
Negroes  in  the  main  army  under  Washington's  command 
two  months  after  the  battle  of  Monmouth : 

RETURN  OF  NEGROES  IN  THE  ARMY,  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1778. 


BRIGADES. 

Present, 

Sick. 
Absent. 

On 
command. 

Total. 

North  Carolina      ...          

42 

10 

6 

58 

Woodf  ord  

36 

3 

1 

40 

Muhlenburg  

64 

26 

8 

98 

Smallwood  

20 

3 

1 

24 

Second  Maryland  

43 

15 

2 

60 

W^ayne     

2 

2 

Second  Pennsylvania     

F331 

m 

F351 

Clinton  

33 

2 

4 

39 

Parsons  

117 

12 

19 

148 

Huntinfton  

56 

2 

4 

62 

Nixon  

26 

-   1 

27 

Patterson  

64 

13 

12 

89 

Late  Learned  

34 

4 

8 

46 

Poor              .               

16 

7 

4 

27 

Total  

586 

98 

71  . 

755 

ALEX.  SCAMMELL,  Adjutant -General. 

The  above  return  does  not  include  the  Rhode  Island 
regiment,  which  had  already  been  organized,  nor  the 
troops  from  Connecticut.  Nevertheless,  this  is  a  strong 


1  Sparks's  "Correspondence  of  the  American  Revolution,"  vol.  iii., 
p.  246. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  23 

representation  of  Negro  soldiers  at  so  early  a  period  of  the ,. 
war. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1779,  Congress  enacted  a  law  to 
enable  the  colony  of  South  Carolina  to  raise  "  three  thou- 
sand able-bodied  negroes,"  and  made  provisions  for  pay- 
ing the  masters  of  such  slaves  as  might  enlist.1  Shortly 
after  this,  Congress  commissioned  John  Laurens,  whose  fa- 
ther was  in  Congress  from  South  Carolina,  as  a  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  despatched  him  to  the  South  to  recruit  black 
levies.  These  are  the  only  two  instances  in  which  Con- 
gress took  any  action  respecting  the  military  employment 
of  Negroes ;  and  it  is  the  duty  of  history  to  record  the 
failure  of  so  noble  an  enterprise.  "  But  the  single  voice 
of  reason,"  wrote  Colonel  Laurens,  May  19,  1782,  "  was 
drowned  by  the  howlings  of  a  triple -headed  monster, 
in  which  prejudice,  avarice,  and  pusillanimity  were  unit- 
ed."1 

Moved  by  the  pressing  necessities  of  war,  and  admon- 
ished by  the  celerity  of  an  insidious  enemy,  the  colonies 
seized  upon  the  policy  of  arming  their  slaves.  In  the 
month  of  May,  1777,  the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut 
passed  an  act  for  the  enlistment  of  Negroes  ;  but  it  was  put 
over  one  session,  and  finally  defeated  by  a  committee  hos- 
tile to  the  project.3  But,  in  addition  to  the  free  Negroes 
scattered  through  the  Connecticut  regiments,  a  company 
of  slaves  was  raised,  and  assigned  to  Meigs's,  afterwards 
Butler's,  regiment.4  On  the  2d  of  January,  1778,  General 
J.  M.  Yarnum,  of  Rhode  Island,  wrote  General  "Washing- 
ton concerning  a  plan  he  had  conceived  for  the  raising  of 

1  "  Secret  Journals  of  Congress,"  vol.  i.,  pp.  107-110. 
8  Sparks's  "Correspondence  of  the  American  Revolution,"  vol.  iii., 
p.  506. 

3  "  An  Historical  Research,"  pp.  114-116. 

4  "National  Portrait  Gallery  of  Distinguished  Americans." 


24  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

troops  in  Rhode  Island.  "  It  is  imagined  that  a  battalion 
of  negroes  can  be  raised  there," '  he  wrote.  His  letter  was 
enclosed  by  General  Washington  to  Nicholas  Cooke,  gov- 
ernor of  Rhode  Island.  When  the  General  Assembly 
convened  in  February,  the  correspondence  was  laid  before 
it,  and  after  some  debate  an  act  embodying  General  Var- 
num's  plan  was  passed.  It  provided  "  that  every  able- 
bodied  negro,  mulatto,  or  Indian  man  slave  "  might  enlist, 
and  "that  every  slave  so  enlisting  ...  be  immediately 
discharged  from  the  service  of  his  master  or  mistress,  and 
be  absolutely  FREE."  The  act  provided  that  the  owner  of 
each  slave  enlisting  should  be  allowed  "  a  price  not  exceed- 
ing £120  for  the  most  valuable  slave ;  and  in  proportion 
for  a  slave  of  less  value." 2  This  legislation,  so  radical  and 
costly,  was  not  secured  without  violent  opposition.  There 
were  four  reasons  for  its  rejection  set  forth  in  a  protest 
signed  by  six  members  of  the  Assembly.  They  thought  that 
there  were  not  enough  Negroes  in  the  Province  to  justify 
the  scheme  of  a  separate  battalion ;  that  slaves  ought  not  to 
be  purchased  to  fight  the  battles  of  freemen  ;  that  the  ex- 
pense of  such  an  organization  would  be  much  greater  than 
of  an  organization  of  white  men  of  the  same  number;  and 
that  both  difficulties  and  dissatisfaction  would  arise  among 
the  masters  in  reference  to  the  purchase  -  money.3  The 
plan,  however,  went  into  operation,  and  four  companies  of 
emancipated  slaves  were  enrolled  as  soldiers,4  at  a  cost  of 
£10,437  7s.  Id.  This  sum  was  audited  and  sworn  to  at 
Providence  on  February  23, 1781. 

But  the  enlistment  of  slaves  in  this  colony  was  only 

1  "Rhode  Island  Colonial  Records,"  vol.  viii.,  p.  641.     Vide  General 
Washington's  letter,  p.  640,  also  p.  534. 

2  Ibid.,  vol.  viii.,  pp.  358-360. 
8  Ibid.,  vol.  viii.,  p.  361. 

4  "  Spirit  of  '76  in  Rhode  Island,"  pp.  186-188. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  25 

permitted  for  four  months.  In  May,  1778,  the  General 
Assembly  declared  in  a  resolution  that  the  act  of  Febru- 
ary was  intended  to  be  temporary  only,  and  "  voted  and 
resolved,  that  no  negro,  mulatto,  or  Indian  slave  be  per- 
mitted to  enlist  into  said  battalion  from  and  after  the 
tenth  day  of  June  next,  and  that  the  said  act  then  expire 
and  be  no  longer  in  force."  But  the  little  colony  had 
exhausted  all  the  military  material  among  the  Negroes, 
and  the  above  resolve  had  little  or  no  effect. 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1778,  Thomas  Kench,  a  member  of 
an  artillery  regiment  stationed  on  Castle  Island,  presented 
an  elaborate  plan  for  raising  Negro  troops  to  the  Council 
of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  "We  have  di- 
vers of  them,"  he  explained,  "  in  our  service,  mixed  with 
white  men.  But  I  think  it  would  be  more  proper  to 
raise  a  body  by  themselves."  He  thought  that  in  a  sep- 
arate organization  the  Negroes  w^uld  have  the  esprit  de 
corps,  and  said  that  no  patriot  could  oppose  "  this  plan,  or 
be  against  his  negroes  enlisting  into  the  service  to  maintain 
the  cause  of  freedom.'51  But  the  Council  did  not  feel 
called  upon  to  amend  its  record  and  invite  "  slaves  "  to 
"help  fight  the  battles  of  freemen."  On  the  other  hand 
the  question  of  the  emancipation  and  enlistment  of  the 
slaves  had  occasioned  deep  concern  and  sharp  discussion. 
Several  altercations  resulting  in  blows  had  taken  place  in 
the  coffee-houses  in  the  lower  part,  of  Boston,  and  the  pub- 
lic temper  was  dangerously  excited.  Mr.  Kench,  receiv- 
ing no  reply  to  his  communication,  addressed  a  brief  note- 
calling  attention  to  disturbances  that  had  occurred  in  Bos- 
ton, adding  that  he  would  be  brief  lest  he  might  give 
offence.  He  seems  to  have  realized  the  temper  of  the 
Council. 

1  "  MS.  Archives  of  Massachusetts,"  vol.  cxcix.,  p.  80. 


26  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

"  To  the  Honorable  Council  in  Boston : 

"The  letter  I  wrote  before  I  heard  of  the  disturbance  with  Colonel 
Scares,  Mr.  Spear,  and  a  number  of  other  gentleman,  concerning  the  free- 
dom of  negroes,  in  Congress  Street.  It  is  a  pity  that  riots  should  be 
committed  on  the  occasion,  as  it  is  justifiable  that  negroes  should  have 
their  freedom,  and  none  amongst  us  be  held  as  slaves,  as  freedom  and 
liberty  is  the  grand  controversy  that  we  are  contending  for;  and  I 
trust,  under  the  smiles  of  Divine  Providence,  we  shall  obtain  it,  if  all 
our  minds  can  be  united;  and  putting  the  negroes  into  the  service  will 
prevent  much  uneasiness,  and  give  more  satisfaction  to  those  that  are 
offended  at  the  thoughts  of  their  servants  being  free. 

"I  will  not  enlarge,  for  fear  I  should  give  offence;  but  subscribe 

myself 

"Your  faithful  servant, 

"THOMAS  KENCH. 

"CASTLE  ISLAND,  April  7, 1778."1 


From  1652  to  1656  the  free  Negroes  of  Massachusetts 
were  permitted  to  join  the  militia  by  law,  but  in  1656  a 
law  was  passed  excluding  them.  "  Henceforth,"  the  law 
declared,  "no  negroes  or  Indians  .  .  .  shall  be  armed  or 
permitted  to  trayne."2  And  in  May,  1680,  Governor  Brad- 
street  wrote  to  the  "  Committee  for  Trade,"  "  We  account 
all  generally  from  sixteen  to  sixty  that  are  healthful  and 
strong  bodys,  both  House-holders  and  servants,  fit  to  beare 
Armes,  except  Negroes  and  Slaves,  whom  wee  arme  not." 3 
In  the  Militia  Act  of  1775,  "  negroes,  Indians,  and  mulat- 
toes  "  were  excepted.  And  by  the  act  of  May,  1776,  provid- 
ing for  the  reinforcement  of  the  American  army,  it  was 
declared  that  "  Indians,  negroes,  and  mulattoes  shall  not  be 
held  to  take  up  arms  or  procure  any  person  to  do  it  in 
their  room."  On  the  14th  of  November,  1776,  contem- 
plating an  improvement  of  the  army,  "  negroes,  Indians, 
and  mnlattoes  were  excluded."  And  in  an  order  issued  dur- 

1  "MS.  Archives  of  Massachusetts,"  vol.  cxcix.,  p.  84. 

•  Moore's  "  History  of  Slavery  in  Massachusetts,"  App.,  p.  343. 

3  "Mass.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll., "vol.  viii.,  p.  336.     Third  Series. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  27 

ing  this  year,  to  take  the  census  of  all  males  above  the  age 
of  sixteen,  "negroes,  Indians,  and  mulattoes"  were  except- 
ed.  But  the  gravity  of  the  situation  led  the  General  Court 
to  pass  a  resolve  on  the  6th  of  January,  1777, "  for  the 
raising  of  every  seventh  man  to  complete  our  quota," 
"  without  any  exceptions,  save  the  people  called  Quakers." 
As  late  as  the  5th  of  March,  1778,  Benjamin  Goddard,  rep- 
resenting the  selectmen,  Committee  of  Safety,  and  militia 
officers  of  the  town  of  Graf  ton,  protested  against  the  en- 
listment of  the  Negroes  of  that  place. 

On  the  llth  of  April,  1778,  the  first  letter  of  Thomas 
Kench,  dated  April  3,  was  read  and  referred  to  a  joint 
committee,  with  instructions  "  to  consider  the  same,  and 
report."  On  the  17th  of  April  a  copy  of  the  Rhode  Isl- 
and act  "  for  enlisting  negroes  in  the  public  service  "  was 
referred  to  the  same  committee ;  and  on  the  28th  of  April 
an  act  was  passed  for  the  military  employment  of  Negroes, 
almost  in  the  words  of  the  Rhode  Island  law  of  February, 
1778.  But  there  is  no  record  of  a  separate  Negro  organ- 
ization in  Massachusetts,  and,  being  allowed  to  enter  the 
service,  they  enlisted  in  the  white  organizations  already  in 
the  field. 

The  New  England  colonies  had  at  length  accepted  the 
policy  of  arming  Negroes  as  inevitable.  The  Negroes  would 
make  powerful  allies ;  their  great  natural  strength,  their 
power  of  endurance  and  enthusiasm,  made  them  welcome 
comrades  everywhere.  Within  three  years  after  the  bat- 
tle of  Bunker  Hill  they  were  scattered  through  the  east- 
ern army,  and  their  intelligence  and  valor  had  been  se- 
verely tested.  But  the  middle  and  southern  colonies  had 
manifested  more  conservatism.  There  were  15,000  slaves 
in  the  colony  of  New  York,  and  most  of  them  in  the  city 
of  New  York.  There  were  7,600  in  New  Jersey,  10,000 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  9,000  in  Delaware.  Sir  Henry  Clin- 


28  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ton  was  in  command  of  His  majesty's  forces  on  the  At- 
lantic seaboard  from  Nova  Scotia  to  West  Florida.  He 
saw  that  the  policy  of  the  Continental  authorities  in  em- 
ploying Negroes  was  ruinous  to  his  Majesty's  cause,  and 
in  order  to  discourage  the  military  employment  of  Ne- 
groes, Sir  Henry  issued  a  proclamation.  It  was  pub- 
lished in  The  Royal  Gazette,  of  New  York  City,  July  3d, 

1779. 

"PROCLAMATION. 

"Whereas  the  enemy  have  adopted  a  practice  of  enrolling  NE- 
GROES among  their  Troops,  I  do  hereby  give  notice  That  all  NEGROES 
taken  in  arms,  or  upon  any  military  Duty,  shall  be  purchased  for  [the 
public  service  at]  a  stated  Price ;  the  money  to  be  paid  to  the  Captors. 

"But  I  do  most  strictly  forbid  any  Person  to  sell  or  claim  Right 
over  any  NEGROE,  the  property  of  a  Rebel,  who  may  take  Refuge  with 
any  part  of  this  Army :  And  I  do  promise  to  every  NEGROE  who  shall 
desert  the  Rebel  Standard  full  security  to  follow  within  these  Lines 
any  Occupation  which  he  shall  think  proper. 

"  Given  under  my  Hand,  at  Headquarters,  PHILLIPSBURGH,  the  30th 
day  of  June,  1779.  H.  CLINTON. 

"By  his  Excellency's  command. 

"JOHN  SMITH,  Secretary." 

While  Sir  Henry's  proclamation  had  little  or  no  effect 
at  the  North,  many  Negroes  joined  his  forces  at  the  South. 
In  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  Colonel  Laurens  wrote 
General  Washington  from  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
February  14th :  "  Private  accounts  say  that  General  Pre- 
vost  is  left  to  command  at  Savannah ;  that  his  troops  con- 
sist of  the  Hessians  and  Loyalists  that  were  there  before, 
reinforced  by  a  corps  of  blacks  and  a  detachment  of  sav- 
ages. It  is  generally  reported  that  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
commands  the  present  expedition." ' 

This  news  seems  to  have  had  the  effect  of  convincing  the 

1  Sparks's  "Correspondence  of  the  American  Revolution,"  vol.  ii., 
p.  402. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  29 

brave  General  Lincoln  of  the  importance  of  raising  Negro 
troops  in  the  South.  On  the  13th  of  March,  1780,  he 
wrote  Governor  Rutledge,  of  South  Carolina : 

"  Give  me  leave  to  add  once  more,  that  I  think  the 
measure  of  raising  a  black  corps  a  necessary  one ;  that  I 
have  great  reason  to  believe,  if  permission  be  given  for  it, 
that  many  men  would  soon  be  obtained.  I  have  repeated- 
ly urged  this  matter,  not  only  because  Congress  have  rec- 
ommended it,  and  because  it  thereby  becomes  my  duty  to 
attempt  to  have  it  executed,  but  because  my  own  mind 
suggests  the  utility  and  importance  of  the  measure,  as  the 
safety  of  the  town  [Charleston]  makes  it  necessary."  And 
on  the  16th  of  March,  1T79,  the  Hon.  Henry  Laurens,  of 
South  Carolina,  wrote  General  Washington  :  "  Had  we 
arms  for  three  thousand  such  black  men  as  I  could  select 
in  Carolina,  I  should  have  no  doubt  of  success  in  driving 
the  British  out  of  Georgia,  and  subduing  East  Florida  be- 
fore the  end  of  July." '  Free  Negroes  had  enlisted  in  the 
Virginia  regiments,  although  there  was  no  law  accepting 
their  services.  It  appears  that  several  slaves  deserted 
their  masters,  and  under  the  pretence  of  being  free  per- 
sons, enlisted.  And  to  prevent  such  enlistments  the  fol- 
lowing law  was  enacted : 

"Be  it  enacted,  that  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  recruiting  officer 
within  this  commonwealth  to  enlist  any  negro  or  mulatto  into  the  serv- 
ice of  this  or  either  of  the  United  States,  until  such  negro  or  mulatto 
shall  produce  a  certificate  frome  some  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  the  coun- 
ty wherein  he  resides  that  he  is  a  freeman."2 

There  is  no  record  of  a  separate  battalion  or  regiment 
of  Negroes  in  the  colony  of  Virginia ;  but  the  above  act 
very  clearly  indicates  that  there  were  Negroes  in  the  army, 

1  Sparks's  "Washington," vol.  vi.,  p. 204. 

2  Henig's  "  Statutes,"  vol.  ix.,  p.  280. 


30  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

and  that  free  Negroes  could  enter  if  they  chose.  On  the 
20th  of  November,  1780,  the  Hon.  James  Madison  wrote 
to  Joseph  Jones,  of  Virginia :  "  Would  it  not  be  as  well  to 
liberate  and  make  soldiers  at  once  of  the  blacks  them- 
selves? .  .  .  And  with  white  officers  and  a  majority  of 
white  soldiers,  no  imaginable  danger  could  be  feared  from 
themselves."  '  Virginia  did  nobly ;  for  in  1783  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  passed  a  law  entitled  "  An  Act  directing  the 
emancipation  of  certain  slaves  who  have  served  as  soldiers 
in  this  State,  and  for  the  emancipation  of  the  slave  Aber- 
deen.'- a  On  the  20th  of  March,  1781,  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  New  York  enacted  a  law  for  the  embodiment  of 
two  regiments  of  Negro  slaves,  who,  after  a  term  of  three 
years,  were  to  be  freemen  of  the  State.3  And  in  June, 
1781,  Maryland  was  entertaining  a  project  to  raise  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  Negro  soldiers,  to  be  incorporated  with 
the  white  troops  from  that  colony.4 

And  so  the  work  went  forward,  until  it  was  the  excep- 
tion, not  the  rule,  to  find  no  Negro  soldiers  in  any  brigade 
of  the  army.  Everywhere  they  won  the  confidence  and 
applause  of  their  white  compatriots;  and  they  did  their 
duty  so  naturally  and  faithfully  that  their  color  was  lost 
sight  of.  Towards  the  close  of  the  war  their  presence 
was  no  more  a  matter  of  comment  than  that  there  were 
Continental  troops  from  the  eastern  colonies,  or  that  lib- 
erty had  votaries  among  the  colonists. 

"While  there  were  no  special  engagements  in  which  Ne- 
gro soldiers  bore  the  brunt,  nevertheless  they  participated 

1  "Madison  Papers,"  p.  68. 

s  Henig's  "  Statutes  of  Virginia,"  vol.  xi.,  pp.  308,  309. 

3  "Laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,"  chap,  xxxii.    Fourth  Session. 

4  Sparks's  "  Correspondence  of  the  American  Revolution,"  vol.  iii., 
p.  331. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  31 

in  most  of  the  battles  of  the  Revolution.  There  were  but 
few  separate  organizations  of  Negro  troops ,  and  even  then 
their  personality  was  swallowed  up  in  some  brigade  of 
white  troops.  But,  side  by  side  with  their  white  compatri- 
ots, they  fought  gallantly  for  American  independence, from 
Bunker  Hill  to  Brandywine,  from  Yalley  Forge  to  Mon- 
mouth,  and  from  Saratoga  to  Yorktown.  They  were  rep- 
resented in  ten  of  the  fourteen  brigades  in  the  main  army 
under  General  Washington  during  the  first  three  years  of 
the  war ;  and  after  the  battle  of  Monmouth  (June  28, 1778) 
they  were  to  be  found  in  eighteen  brigades.1  These 
gallant  black  soldiers  extended  their  military  exploits 
from  Massachusetts  Bay  to  Lake  Ontario ;  from  the  bat- 
tle of  Rhode  Island  to  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  At 
Bunker  Hill  they  set  an  example  of  valor  and  soldiership 
admirable  to  white  officers,  and  which  won  the  applause 
of  the  Provincial  Congress.  In  the  battle  of  Rhode  Isl- 
and they  shared,  with  unwavering  devotion,  the  perils  of 
the  conflict  and  the  glory  of  the  victory."  As  early  as 

1  I  have  gone  over  the  muster-rolls,  as  well  as  the  descriptive  lists,  of 
the  Continental  army,  and  have  been  rewarded  by  the  discovery  that 
nearly  all  the  regiments  from  the  eastern  colonies  contained  negro  sol- 
diers.    This  I  found  true,  also,  of  many  regiments  from  the  southern 
colonies. — G.  W.  W. 

2  One  Sidney  S.  Rider,  author  of  "  An  Historical  Tract  "  (No.  10)  in 
the  Rhode  Island  series,  has  striven  to  ridicule  and  cast  into  oblivion 
the  black  regiment  of  Rhode  Island  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Mr.  Rider's  tract  was  published  at  Providence  in  1880.    He  seeks  to  dis- 
prove the  fact  that  "a  regiment"  existed;  although  it  is  carried  on  the 
rolls  of  the  army  as  a  "regiment, "and  is  designated  as  a  regiment  by 
all  historians.     He  seeks  to  belittle  the  services  of  this  regiment  at  the 
battle  of  Rhode  Island,  August  29,  1778,  and  to  show  that  there  was 
only  a  handful  of  insubordinate  Negroes  in  that  engagement.     Mr. 
Rider  is  lacking  in  judicial  temper;  and  his  literary  workmanship  is 
very  imperfect.     He  gives  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  privates — eighty- 
eight  in  all — while  only  nine  of  these  names  tally  with  the  roll  as  it  ap- 


32  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

1776,  when  the  main  army  from  the  east  was  mobilized 
at  New  York,  there  were  many  Negroes  in  the  regiments. 
Graydon  (p.  147)  wrote  of  Colonel  Glover's  regiment, 
from  Marblehead,  Massachusetts :  "  But  even  in  this  regi- 
ment (a  fine  one)  there  were  a  number  of  Negroes."  They 

peared  on  the  1st  of  May,  1779  (vide  Saffell's  "  Revolutionary  Records," 
pp.  153, 154).  In  Cowell's ' '  Spirit  of  '76  in  Rhode  Island  "  (pp.  186-188), 
the  number  of  these  black  soldiers  is  given  (January,  1780)  as  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-four.  All  that  history  claims  for  this  regiment  is  just 
as  well  as  true.  The  troops  fought  well;  and  Major-general  Greene 
wrote  the  next  day  after  the  engagement:  "The  enemy  repeated  the 
attempt  three  times  [tried  to  carry  his  position],  and  were  as  often  re- 
pulsed with  great  bravery."  The  black  regiment  was  one  of  three 
that  prevented  the  enemy  from  turning  the  flank  of  the  American 
army.  These  black  troops  were  doubtless  regarded  as  the  weak  point 
of  the  line,  but  they  were  not. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1781,  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux  ("Travels," 
vol.  i.,  p.  454,  London,  1789)  wrote:  "  At  the  passage  to  the  ferry,  I  met 
a  detachment  of  the  Rhode  Island  regiment,  the  same  corps  we  had  with 
us  all  the  last  summer,  but  they  have  since  been  recruited  and  clothed. 
The  greatest  part  of  them  are  Negroes  or  mulattoes ;  but  they  are 
strong,  robust  men,  and  those  I  have  seen  had  a  very  good  appear- 
ance." 

Mr.  Rider  says  (p.  37)  that  "they  were  in  no  engagement  after  the 
battle  of  Rhode  Island ;"  forgetting  that  he  had  recorded  (p.  29)  their 
engagement  at  Point  Bridge.  He  says  that  while  here  Colonel  Greene 
"was  surprised  and  attacked  in  the  rear  by  a  party  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty  of  the  enemy's  light- horse  during  the  night  of  May  14, 1781. 
Colonel  Greene  and  Major  Flagg  were  killed,  and  about  forty  of  the 
regiment  were  either  killed,  wounded,  or  taken  prisoners." 

Several  facts  are  clearly  admitted  here :  (1)  It  was  a  surprise  (2)  at  night 
in  the  (3)  rear;  and  by  (4)  two  hundred  and  sixty  (5)  light-horse  upon 
Mr.  Rider's  "eighty -eight  Negroes, "  who  sustained  a  loss  of  about  (6)  forty 
men!"  Let  military  students  and  critics  draw  their  own  conclusions, 
and  then  read  the  sneering  comments  of  Mr.  Rider  (p.  47  sq.)  in  his 
tract. 

As  late  as  1783  this  black  regiment  was  still  in  the  service,  and  from 
it  General  Washington  ordered  a  detail  to  effect  a  forced  march  to, 
and  surprise  of,  the  enemy's  post  at  Oswego  (vide  Sparks's  "  Washing- 
ton," vol.  viii.,  p.  385).— G.  W.  W. 


IN   THE    WAR   OF  THE   REBELLION. 


33 


were  numerous  in  the  regiments  that  were  despatched 
to  the  northward,  and  so  readily  adjusted  themselves  to 
the  profession  of  arms  that  no  objections  were  offered  to 
them  anywhere.  Their  splendid  feats  of  valor  covered 
their  dark  visage  as  with  a  halo  of  glory ;  and  the  only 
way  to  distinguish  them  from  their  white  compatriots,  so 
close  was  the  comradeship,  is  to  g€>  over  the  rolls  of  the 
army  patiently,  name  by  name.  The  following  partial 
roll  shows  that  nearly  every  town  in  Massachusetts  had 
its  Negro  representative  in  the  army : 


NEGRO  SOLDIERS. 

Age. 

Height. 

Where  from. 

Scipio  Witt  

19 

0 

ft.  6  in. 

Brookfield. 

Abner  Hibrav  

31 

5 

"    6   " 

Ozias  Fletcher  

18 

5 

"  10  " 

W.  Springfield. 

Frederick  Wav  

16 

5 

"  10  " 

Peter  Lovejoy  

17 

5 

"    7  " 

Andover. 

Winlmm  Carrev  . 

40 

5 

"    3   " 

Boston. 

Isaac  Mitchel  .... 

36 

5 

"    5    " 

Bristol  Pratt  

35 

5 

"  10   " 

Newport  Deblois  

45 

5 

«    4   " 

Boston  Foster  

32 

5 

"    8   " 

Cromwel  Barnes  

16 

5 

Cyrus  Kent  

30 

5 

«    4  « 

Bristol  Ballard  

25 

5 

"    6   " 

Abs'm  Northgate  

18 

5 

«    4    ' 

Titus  Freeman  

37 

5 

"    2    ' 

James  Thomas  

22 

0 

"    8    '• 

Newburyport. 

Caesar  Mills  

19 

f> 

"    6    ' 

Watertown. 

Charles  Hendrick  (Indian)  

21 

5 

'    5    ' 

Westminster. 

Caesar  Sweeten  

17 

5 

4    3     ' 

Bellingharn. 

Prince  Brewsler  (mulatto)  

17 

5 

'    6    ' 

Medway. 

Ishmael  Coffe  (mulatto)  .  .    . 

40 

5 

1    7    ' 

ii 

Thomas  Gibbs  

28 

5 

'    3    ' 

Sunderland. 

Richard  Demmon  

59 

5 

'    7    ' 

Sutton. 

Prince  Brown  

20 

5 

'    7    ' 

Newbury. 

Cuff  Dowrev  

22 

5 

'    7    ' 

Charlestown  Edes  

30 

5 

'    8    ' 

Groton. 

Cambridge  Moor  

25 

5 

'    6    ' 

Bedford. 

Cornwallis  Negn>  

18 

5 

Braintree. 

Charles  Pane  

27 

5 

'    7  " 

Franklin. 

James  Holland  (mulatto)  

17 

5 

»    4   « 

Braintree. 

Jeremiah  Crocker  

29 

5 

'    8    " 

Medway. 

Cammel  R.  Gould  

17 

5 

'    8   " 

Wareham. 

Benj*  Gould  

16 

5 

'    2  " 

Joseph  Warwick  (mulatto)  

17 

5 

'    7   " 

Marshfield. 

Peter  Bannister  .  . 

19 

5 

'    6   " 

Rehoboth. 

A  HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 


NEGRO  SOLDIERS. 

Age. 

Height 

Where  from. 

Pompey  Wallis  

45 

5  ft.  6  in. 

Stoughton. 

Benoni  Williams  

17 

5    '    5   " 

Di^hton. 

Thomas  Dean  

19 

5    '  10  " 

Peter  Winslow  

18 

5    '    5   " 

M 

Uriah  Tew  (mulatto)  

17 

5    '    7  " 

u 

John  Waben  

16 

5    •    4    ' 

Petersham. 

Peter  Haskall  

30 

5    '    9     ' 

Rochester. 

Peter  Gunn  .                     

28 

5    '    5    ' 

Paxton. 

Prince  Almey       

18 

5    '    9    ' 

Dartmouth. 

Ebenr  Prince  (Indian).  ...          .... 

17 

5    '  11     ' 

u 

Solomon  Dick  (Negro)  

17 

5    '    4    ' 

11 

Pompey  Peckum  

28 

5    '    8     ' 

u 

London  Ro^er  

24 

5    '     1   " 

Newbury. 

Cuff  Mitchel  

33 

5    '    7    ' 

Bridgewater. 

Calvin  Jot  hum  

20 

5    '    8    ' 

Samuel  Mingo  

30 

5    '    4    ' 

u 

Benj*  Oliver  

23 

5    '    4    ' 

Salem. 

Ben  ja  Thomas  (Indian)  

22 

5    '    8    ' 

Natick. 

Phillip  Barrett  

19 

5    '    9    ' 

Concord. 

Lancaster  Bick  

20 

5    '    9    ' 

Newbury. 

Primus  Cobus  

16 

5    '    4 

Abington. 

Peter  Sherron  

17 

5    '    9   ' 

Lincoln. 

Plato  Turner  

28 

5  "    7  ' 

Plymouth. 

Obadiah  Wicket  (Indian)  

26 

5  "    9   ' 

Sandwich. 

Jack  Rand  

27 

5  "    9   l 

Woburn. 

Caesar  Prescott  

47 

5  "    6   ' 

Bedford. 

Peter  Hazard  

22 

5  "    9   ' 

Sandwich. 

Fortune  Holland  

19 

5  "    8   " 

a 

Abraham  Demus  (Indian)  

27 

5  "  10   " 

u 

James  Heater  (Indian)  

16 

5  "    6   " 

!< 

Joseph  Conant  (mulatto}  

16 

5  "    8   " 

U 

Peter  Warren  (mulatto)  

39 

5  "    6    ' 

Medfield. 

Warwick  Green  

29 

5  "    4    ' 

Newport  Green  

42 

5  "    5    ' 

<< 

Paul  Cuffee  

25 

5  "  10    « 

Falmouth. 

Joshua  Robbins  (Indian)  

20 

5  "    5    ' 

Peter  Oliver              

23 

5    '    9    ' 

Littleton. 

Briton  Nichols              

40 

5    '  11    " 

Cohasset. 

Mark  Ne°TO  

48 

5    '    3   " 

Sandwich. 

James  Crook  (Indian)    

16 

5    '    2   " 

Harwich. 

Absalom  Tobv  (mulatto)  

16 

5    '    2  " 

Robert  Pegin  (Indian)  

36 

5    '    9   " 

Bridgewater. 

Tobe  Tarbil  (Negro)  

45 

5    '    6    ' 

tt 

Quark  Martrick      ...            

24 

5  "    5    ' 

u 

John  Fov  

21 

5  "  10    ' 

u 

Charles  Min^o    

18 

5  "    9    ' 

Wrentham. 

Peter  Buxton  

44 

6  "    1     ' 

Danvers. 

Z:ichariah  Brav  

27 

5    '    6    ' 

u 

Jeffery  Hemmin^way    

40 

5    '    4   " 

Worcester. 

Prince  Brown  

21 

5    '    5   " 

Falmouth. 

James  London  (mulatto)  

19 

5    '    2   " 

Barnstable. 

Asher  Freeman  

23 

5    '    9    " 

Scituate. 

Nehemiah  Sampson  (mulatto)  

16 

5    ' 

u 

IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 


35 


NEGRO  SOLDIERS. 


Height. 


Where  from. 


ToneyRose 18  5ft 

Jack  Negro 16  5 

Adam  Tuttle 22  5 

Caeser  Thatcher 32  5 

Ishmael  Cutler 36  6 

Prince  Cutler 20  5 

Prince  Darby 27  5 

Sharper  Freeman 30  6 

Cato  Tudor 21  5 

Peter  Dago 25  5 

Jacob  Spean 26  5 

Jeremiah  Job  (mulatto) 20  5 

Peter  Price  (mulatto) 26  5 

Cato  Hunt 18  5 

David  Negro 17  4 

Edward  Samms 31  5 

Cuff  Dole 32  5 

Prince  Easterbrooks 39  5 

Simeon  Reed 25  5 

Caesar  Elsberry..    16  5 

Cicero  Haskell 21  5 

Oxford  Task 26  5 

Uriah  Williams 28  5 

Samuel  Royal 21  5 

Samuel  Craft ..  18  5 


10  iu 
2 

7 

5 

6 

10 


Middleborough. 
Sandwich. 
Boston. 
Dorchester. 

Cambridge. 
ii 

Dorchester. 
Stoneham. 
Lexington. 
Natick. 

H 

Chesterfield. 

it 

Rehoboth. 

u 

Kittery. 
Rowley. 
Lexington. 
Freetown. 

« 

Newburyport. 

Berwick. 

Salem. 
Lexington. 


All  through  this  roll  of  honor  we  find  the  word  "  Negro," 
or  "black."  But  for  this  fact,  history  would  have  been  si- 
lent on  this  important  point,  which  is  now,  for  the  first  time, 
established  by  the  record — that  Negro  soldiers  participated 
in  nearly  every  battle  of  the  Revolutionary  War.1  They 
witnessed  the  first  flash  of  war  that  marked  the  severance 

1  It  required  two  winter  seasons  to  complete  an  examination  of  the 
rolls  of  the  American  army  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Taking  sixty- 
seven  (67)  regiments  from  the  entire  army,  and  giving  an  average  of 
thirty-five  (35)  Negroes  to  each  of  these  regiments,  the  result  is  two 
thousand  three  hundred  and  forty-five  (2345)  Negroes.  Allowing  six 
hundred  and  fifty-five  (655)  for  separate  organizations,  and  those  in  regi- 
ments from  the  Southern  States,  there  were,  at  the  lowest  calculation, 
three  thousand  (3000)  Negro  soldiers  in  the  American  army  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary  War. Ft  is  not  known  how  many  were  among  the  ministe- 
rial  troops.  Quite  a  number  went  to  England  at  the  close  of  the  war 
with  General  Sir  Guy  Carleton ;_  some  settled  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  others 
went  to  Sierra  Leone,  West  Africa.— G.  W.  W. 


36  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

of  the  colonies  from  the  British  Empire,  and  they  beheld 
Cornwallis's  banners  go  down  before  the  victorious  stand- 
ards of  the  American  army.  They  were  modest,  patient, 
heroic,  and  efficient  from  the  gray  dawn  of  the  struggle 
until  the  bright  noontide  of  victory.  Their  sufferings, 
sacrifices,  and  triumphs  are  now  the  priceless  heritage  of 
a  grateful  nation. 

FRANCE,  under  the  empire  and  as  a  republic,  never  pro- 
scribed the  Negro  in  her  laws  regulating  the  army.  Ne- 
groes speaking  the  French  language,  and  being  French 
subjects,  have  been  admitted  to  the  army  at  all  times. 
Their  presence  in  the  French  army  has  never  been  com- 
mented upon  by  military  writers,  because  it  has  always 
been  regarded  as  natural  and  normal. 

There  was  no  involuntary  servitude  in  France,  and  the 
color  of  the  skin  was  never  regarded  as  a  badge  of  inferior- 
ity. In  the  sea-coast  districts  and  in  the  large  cities  of 
France  the  Negroes  have  resided  in  considerable  numbers, 
and  have  always  contributed  their  small  proportion  to  the 
military  quota. 

The  mulattoes  soon  lose  their  racial  identity,  and  speak- 
ing the  French  language,  and  copying  French  manners, 
are  easily  merged  in  the  general  population.  No  one  ad- 
dresses them  as  Negroes,  and  a  reference  to  their  nation- 
ality is  always  unwelcome.  Being  few  in  number,  and 
retaining  no  Negro  characteristics,  there  is  no  obstruction 
to  their  ambition.  A  Negro  may  pass  all  the  grades  of 
the  army  and  reach  the  rank  of  a  field -marshal  if  he 
have  military  talents. 

France  has  honored  herself  in  recognizing  the  military 
services  of  a  brave  Negro,  Alexander  Davy  Dumas,  who 
was  born  at  Jeremie,  Hayti,  March  25,  1762.  His  father 
was  the  Marquis  de  la  Pailleterte,  and  his  mother  a  Negro 


IN   THE   WAR  OF   THE   REBELLION.  37 

girl.  He  was  sent  to  France  to  be  educated,  but,  being  of 
a  romantic  and  vivacious  temperament,  he  ran  away  and 
joined  a  French  cavalry  regiment  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 
After  two  years  of  service,  he  reached  the  rank  of  a  non- 
commissioned officer.  In  1762  the  Minister  of  "War,  Mon- 
sieur De  Choiseul,  formed  a  system  of  promotion  for  non- 
commissioned and  lower  officers.  In  1782  the  Committee 
of  War  manifested  a  desire  to  extend  a  larger  opportunity 
for  promotion,  but  it  was  not  carried  into  effect  until  1790. 
Nearly  all  the  offices  were  monopolized  by  the  privileged 
classes.  But  three  years  later  this  intrepid  Negro  soldier 
had  won  the  rank  of  division  commander.  Now  came  a 
sudden  and  radical  change  in  his  military  career.  From 
the  monotonous  routine  of  the  garrison  he  was  transferred 
to  the  active  theatre  of  war.  His  aptitude  for  the  profes- 
sion of  arms  began  to  be  manifest,  and  by  deeds  of  desperate 
valor  he  won  the  applause  of  the  army  and  the  praise  of  his 
commander,  Durnouriez.  His  promotions  were  rapid,  and 
by  September,  1793,  he  had  passed  through  every  grade 
to  the  rank  of  general  of  division.1  He  served  in  Italy  un- 
der Bonaparte,  and  at  the  battle  of  Brixen,  single-handed 
and  alone,  defended  a  bridge  against  the  enemy,  thus  af- 
fording the  French  time  to  arrive.  This  feat  rendered 
him  quite  famous  in  the  French  army,  and  Bonaparte 
presented  him  to  the  Directory  as  "  the  Horatius  Codes 
of  the  Tyrol."  He  was  ordered  to  Egypt,  where  he  served 
with  distinction.  He  died  at  Yillers-Cotterets,  France, 
February  26,  1806.  He  attained  the  highest  rank  and 
won  the  greatest  distinction  as  a  soldier  of  any  Negro  in 
the  world — with  the  exception  of  Toussaint  1'Ouverture. 
The  French  nation  employs  an  army  of  Negroes  in  Al- 

1  A  general  of  division  is  one  "who  may  be  charged  with  the  com- 
mand of  armies,  corps  of  the  army,  active  divisions,  or  special  func- 
tions "  (vide  Thackeray  on  the  Military  of  France,  vol.  i.,  p.  23). — G.  W.  W. 


38  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

giers,  but  never  stations  them  in  France.  There  are  two 
regiments  of  these  black  soldiers,  and  each  regiment  is 
composed  of  four  battalions  of  one  thousand  men.  When 
on  a  war  footing,  these  regiments  contain  sixteen  thousand 
Negroes.  They  are  commonly  called  Turcos,  on  account 
of  their  desperate  fighting  qualities,  but  are  carried  upon 
the  muster-rolls  of  the  French  army  as" Tirailleurs  Al- 
geriens"  They  are  commanded  by  French  officers,  and 
have  attained  a  high  degree  of  discipline.  They  are  all 
Mohammedan  in  religious  belief,  and  rather  court  death 
as  the  beginning  of  a  more  desirable  life.  They  are  fa- 
natically brave.1  They  served  in  Mexico  in  1865  and  1866, 
and  were  justly  distinguished  by  splendid  fighting  in  the 
war  between  France  and  Germany  in  1870.  They  are  now 
winning  fresh  laurels  in  the  campaign  in  Tonquin.8 

THE  BRITISH  AKMY  has  employed  Negro  troops  for  a  cen- 
tury,8 but  on  account  of  dealing  with  numerous  tribes  of 
heathen  people,  has  never  commissioned  Negroes  as  offi- 
cers. This  policy  has  not  been  directed  against  the  Negro 
as  such,  but  is  general.  No  foreigner  is  ever  intrusted 
with  a  commission  in  the  British  army.  Several  Negroes 
have,  indeed,  held  commissions  as  surgeons,  but  only  on 
the  west  coast  of  Africa. 

Immediately  after  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade  on 

1  During  a  recent  visit  to  Munich,  Germany,  the  author  saw  a  great 
military  painting  in  which  these  troops  are  represented  as  conspicuous 
in  the  Franco- German  war. — G.  W.  W. 

8  MS.  Letter  of  Commandant  De  la  Chere,  of  the  French  Army,  to 
the  author. 

3  In  reply  to  a  letter  of  the  author,  the  Secretary  of  State  for  War 
wrote  from  the  Horse  Guards,  War  Office,  London,  S.  W.,  under  date 
of  January  11, 1886:  "At  the  present  time  there  are  two  regiments  of 
these  troops  on  the  Establishment  of  her  Majesty's  land-forces,  and  that 
negroes  have  been  so  employed  for  the  last  hundred  years." — G.  W.  W. 


IN   THE  WAR  OF   THE   REBELLION.  *  39 

the  west  coast  of  Africa,  in  1807,  a  local  military  establish- 
ment was  constituted.  The  rank  and  file  of  this  organiza- 
tion were  recruited  from  recaptures  of  the  British  fleet 
that  was  policing  the  coast.  As  fast  as  slave- vessels  were 
captured,  their  living  cargo  was  unloaded  at  Sierra  Leone. 
Mean  as  this  material  may  seem,  it  furnished  a  splendid 
corps  of  soldiers  for  the  British  Government.  The  men 
were  proud  of  the  service,  and  took  the  drill  and  duties  of 
their  new  employment  with  intelligent  zeal.  Seven  years 
after  the  colony  of  Sierra  Leone  had  been  adopted  by  the 
Crown,  Mr.  Park,  the  African  traveller,  wrote :  "  In  the 
Royal  African  Corps  now  [1814]  serving  at  Sierra  Leone 
there  are  three  companies  of  black  men,  enlisted  from  the 
slaves  obtained  from  numerous  slave-trading  vessels  which 
have  at  different  times  been  condemned  as  prize  upon  that 
coast.  .  .  . 

"  These  men,  having  been  trained  and  disciplined  with 
great  care,  are  become  excellent  soldiers,  and  are  spoken 
of  by  the  Governor  of  Sierra  Leone  in  the  highest  terms  of 
approbation  for  their  obedience,  steadiness,  and  general 
good  conduct.  They  are,  of  course,  inured  to  the  climate, 
are  accustomed  to  hardships  and  fatigues,  and  capable  of 
the  greatest  exertions.  They  are,  at  the  same  time,  coura- 
geous and  high-spirited,  feeling  a  pride  and  elevation  from 
the  advantages  which  they  enjoy,  and  the  comparative 
rank  to  which  they  have  attained ;  and  they  are  warmly 
attached  to  the  British  Government."  ' 

"  Her  Majesty's  Government  do  now  actually  employ 
colored  regiments  in  the  British  West  Indies,  known  as 
the  West  Indian  regiments,  composed  of  West  African  Ne- 
groes ;" 2  and  they  are  reputed  to  be  excellent  soldiers. 

1  Park's  "  Travels,"  vol.  ii.,  pp.  142,  143.     London  edition,  1816. 

2  MS.  Letter  of  the  British  Minister  at  Washington  to  the  author. 
See  also  Major  A.  B.  Ellis's  "History  of  the  First  West  Indian  Regi- 
ment." 


40  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

And  while  their  services  are  local,  these  troops  have  at- 
tained a  remarkable  proficiency  in  the  manual  of  arms  and 
field  manoeuvres.  And  here  the  Negro  is  included  in  a 
general  policy,  as  it  has  been  noted  he  was  excluded  from 
being  an  officer  by  a  general  policy.  It  is  a  general  pol- 
icy of  the  British  Government  to  use  native  troops  in  the 
colonies,  and  the  Negro  is  thus  included  in  this  policy  on 
the  west  coast  of  Africa  and  in  the  British  West  Indies. 

In  modern  as  well  as  in  ancient  NUBIA  Negro  troops  are 
employed  in  large  numbers.  "  The  Sultan  of  Wara,  or 
fasher,  as  he  is  likewise  called  (fasher  being  the  term  ap- 
plied to  the  open  place  where  he  gives  audience),  has 
among  his  troops  many  Negroes.'"  At  Mocha  Negroes 
were  "  highly  esteemed  as  soldiers,  and  as  such  were  kept 
in  numbers  by  some  of  the  more  powerful  chiefs  of  south- 
ern Arabia."  *  In  BRAZIL  many  Negroes  are  employed  in 
the  police  and  military,  while  a  few  have  obtained  rank 
and  distinction.  And  in  PERU  dead  Negro  priests  have  not 
only  been  canonized,  but  among  the  military  Negroes  may 
be  found,  "together  with  a  much  larger  proportion  of  per- 
sons of  mixed  origin,  zamboes  and  mulattoes." ! 

But  the  scene  of  modern  Negro  soldiership  is  HAYTI. 
Here,  during  the  last  century,  an  army  of  Negroes,  with 
officers  from  their  own  class,  met  in  the  field  and  succes- 
sively and  successfully  fought  the  Spanish,  French,  and 
English ;  and  by  their  own  unaided  efforts  established  a 
Negro  republic.  Several  black  generals  came  to  the  front 
in  this  memorable  struggle,  but  the  most  commanding  char- 
acter was  Toussaint  1'Ouverture.  He  was  born  May  20, 

1  Burckhardt's  "Travels  in  Nubia, "p. 441.     Second  Edition.     Lon- 
don, 1822. 

2  Pickering's  "Races  of  Men,"  vol.  ix.,  p.  186. 

3  Ibid.,  vol.  ix.,  p.  184  sg. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  41 

1743,  on  the  Island  of  Santo  Domingo,  and  died  April  27, 
1803,  in  the  damp,  dark,  and  earless  dungeon  of  Joux,  on 
the  Jura  Mountains,  in  France. 

When  the  French  throne  was  rocking  amid  the  angry 
waves  of  the  Revolution  of  1789,  the  mulattoes  of  the  Isl- 
and of  Santo  Domingo  —  a  considerable  element  in  the 
population  —  intelligent  and  wealthy,  took  advantage  of 
the  movement  for  justice  and  humanity,  and  asked  for  man- 
hood suffrage.  They  despatched  a  deputation  to  Paris, 
headed  by  Lieutenant-colonel  Vincent  Oge,  to  lay  at  the 
foot  of  the  French  throne  six  million  francs  to  help  liqui- 
date the  national  debt.  The  deputation  pledged  the  mu- 
latto population  to  the  payment  of  an  annual  sum  towards 
the  reduction  of  the  French  debt,  and  asked  in  return  that 
they  might  not  be  taxed  without  representation. 

The  French  Assembly  enacted  a  law  making  all  free 
men,  regardless  of  complexion,  eligible  to  office.  On  Oc- 
tober 17, 1790,  Colonel  Oge  landed  at  Cape  Haytien,  and 
marched  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  men  to  La  Grande 
Reviere,  where  he  went  into  camp.  He  wrote  a  letter  to 
the  Assembly  of  the  Island,  requesting  them  to  put  into 
execution  the  French  act  making  free  men  of  color  eligi- 
ble to  office.  His  letter  was  read  and  laid  upon  the  table. 
A  planter  seized  it  and  tore  it  into  atoms,  and  then  threw 
it  upon  the  floor.  The  excitement  was  so  great  that  the 
Assembly  broke  tip  in  uncontrolled  confusion,  the  mem- 
bers exclaiming,  "  We  will  every  one  die  before  we  will 
consent  to  share  our  political  rights  with  a  bastard  and  de- 
generate race !" 

Oge  was  attacked  and  defeated,  and  subsequently  capt- 
ured. His  trial  was  most  memorable  in  the  annals  of  the 
island.  It  continued  three  months,  when  he  and  his  lieu- 
tenant, Shevaime,  were  sentenced  to  be  broken  alive  upon 
the  wheel.  The  four  quarters  of  the  palpitating  body 


42  A   HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

were  hung  up  at  the  four  principal  cities  of  the  island. 
This  was  intended  to  menace  the  mulattoes,  and  suppress 
any  desire  for  the  enforcement  of  their  newly  acquired 
rights.  But  its  effect  was  to  arouse  their  indignation.  On 
the  night  of  August  21, 1791,  the  mulattoes  aroused  the 
plantation  Negroes,  and  within  thirty  hours  reduced  the 
island,  by  torch  and  sword,  to  a  smouldering  heap  of  ruin. 
Every  city  of  the  island  was  now  in  ruins,  and  property 
and  human  life  were  little  prized  and  in  great  peril.  The 
slaves  left  the  plantations  in  large  groups,  and  were  every- 
where insolent  and  threatening. 

Although  the  war  began  in  the  interest  of  the  mulat- 
toes, and  is  known  to  history  as  the  "  Mulatto  War,"  it 
was  now  transferred  to  the  hands  of  the  hardy  Negroes. 
They  organized  an  army,  and  placed  Jean  Fra^ois,  Bias- 
sou,  and  Jeannot,  three  black  brigadier -generals,  in  com- 
mand. Toussaint  made  his  appearance  in  the  army  as 
brigade-surgeon  on  the  staff  of  General  Frangois.  Being 
a  man  of  understanding  and  some  education,  he  proved 
himself  an  apt  student  in  this  practical  school  of  war. 
He  attracted  wide-spread  attention,  and  his  talents  gave 
promise  of  large  usefulness. 

The  planters  rallied  under  the  British  flag,  and  the  As- 
sembly formally  requested  the  aid  of  his  Majesty's  troops 
stationed  at  Kingston,  British  "West  Indies.  The  Negroes 
espoused  the  cause  of  Spain,  and  King  Charles  IY.  con- 
ferred upon  Toussaint  the  commission  of  a  brigadier-gen- 
eral. He  gathered  these  black  brigands  with  a  firm  hand, 
and  organized  them  for  victory.  On  May  27,  1795,  he 
fought  and  won  his  first  battle,  taking  Marmelade  after 
eight  hours  of  stubborn  resistance.  While  his  troops 
were  flushed,  he  marched  upon  Dondon,  and  caused  the 
place  to  capitulate.  He  fortified  these  commanding  posi- 
tions, assumed  the  defensive,  and  subjected  his  troops  to 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  43 

the  severest  discipline  and  drill.  As  soon  as  his  forces 
yielded  to  military  law,  and  began  to  desire  the  honor  of 
the  military  profession,  he  made  a  forced  march  to  the 
mountains,  and  fell  upon  Ennery  like  a  bolt  of  thunder. 
The  garrison  yielded  to  his  summons,  and  another  point 
of  commanding  importance  was  now  under  his  control. 
Surely,  if  slowly,  he  was  moulding  his  Negro  army  with 
a  master- hand.  He  was  a  student  during  times  of  inac- 
tion, and  his  military  books  were  Claison's  "History  of 
Alexander  and  Csesar,"  Marshal  Saxe's  "Military  Rever- 
ies," Guischardt's  "Military  Memoirs  of  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,"  Lloyd's  "Military  and  Political  Memoirs," 
Caesar's  "Commentaries,"  etc.  He  always  kept  a  Bible 
at  headquarters — for  he  could  pray  as  well  as  fight. 

When  he  was  ready  he  set  his  army  in  motion,  and  be- 
gan to  attack  the  enemy  in  his  intrenched  positions.  He 
was  possessed  with  wonderful  military  intuition.  He 
could  sweep  a  line  of  battle  with  a  glance,  and  detect  a 
weak  point.  He  could  steady  a  wavering  column  by  his 
presence,  and  by  his  peerless  example  could  inspire  his 
troops  to  the  most  desperate  fighting  against  the  greatest 
odds.  He  drove  the  British  troops  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet,  and  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape 
the  fury  of  the  Negro  army  hastened  back  to  Jamaica. 

The  French  troops  in  the  island  had  revolted  against 
their  commander,  General  Laveaux,  and  had  caused  him 
to  be  cast  into  prison.  Toussaint  defeated  the  French  in 
a  pitched  battle,  took  Laveaux  out  of  prison,  and  installed 
him  at  the  head  of  the  French  troops.  In  his  admiration  of 
this  brilliant  performance,  a  French  officer  exclaimed, "  Get 
homme  fait  ouverture  partout  /"  From  this  incident  he 
received  the  affix  to  his  name,  L'Ouverture  (the  opening). 

General  Toussaint  1'Ouverture  had  administrative  abil- 
ity as  well  as  the  talents  of  a  fighter.  He  was  capable  of 


44  A   HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

broad  plans  and  successful  execution,  and  knew  that  skil- 
ful planning  is  one-half  of  military  success.  He  won  the 
sympathy  of  Europe  by  issuing  a  military  proclamation 
declaring  all  slaves  within  range  of  his  bayonets  forever 
free,  and  thereby  secured  to  himself  an  enthusiastic  sup- 
port equal  to  an  army  corps.  The  diplomacy  of  his  mili- 
tary orders  was  not  less  effective  than  his  manoeuvres  in 
the  field.  While  wearing  the  uniform  of  a  brigadier- 
general  in  the  service  of  his  Majesty  the  King  of  Spain,  he 
learned  that  his  royal  master  was  friendly  to  the  slave- 
trade.  The  English  had  rendered  aid  and  comfort  to  the 
planters,  and  the  mulattoes  had  formed  an  unnatural  alli- 
ance with  the  men  who  had  not  only  disputed  their 
rights  but  had  murdered  their  leaders.  The  French  As- 
sembly had  not  only  enfranchised  the  mulattoes,  but  had, 
on  February  4, 1794,  declared  the  island  free.  The  black 
general  knew  that  the  Revolution  in  France  had  done 
much  for  liberty,  and  that  the  government  of  the  French 
nation  would  not  be  likely  to  go  backward.  He  had  the 
island  in  his  control,  and  finally,  with  great  deliberation, 
gave  it  to  France.  This  bold,  strategic  stroke  of  policy 
was  as  hurtful  to  Spain  as  it  was  helpful  to  France.  The 
news  of  the  coup  de  grace  kindled  Paris  into  a  blaze  of 
enthusiasm.  The  name  of  the  Negro  general  was  pro- 
nounced with  honor  in  the  rounded  periods  of  orators, 
while  in  military  circles  he  was  failed  as  Le  noir  Napo- 
leon. In  Santo  Domingo  the  English  feared  him,  the 
Spanish  hated  him,  the  planters  respected  him,  and  the 
populace  trusted  him. 

As  a  reward  for  his  distinguished  services,  the  French 
Government  appointed  him  commander -in -chief  of  the 
army  of  Santo  Domingo.  By  order  of  the  governor  he 
was  inaugurated  by  a  magnificent  civic  and  military  dis- 
play, and  before  the  army  made  the  following  speech : 


IN   THE   WAR  OF   THE   REBELLION.  45 

"  CITIZEN  COMMISSIONERS  :  I  accept  the  eminent  rank  to 
which  you  have  just  raised  me,  only  in  the  hope  of  more 
surely  succeeding  in  entirely  extirpating  the  enemies  of 
Saint  Domingo,  of  contributing  to  its  speedy  restoration  to 
prosperity,  and  of  securing  the  happiness  of  its  inhabitants. 
If  to  fulfil  the  difficult  task  which  it  imposes,  it  sufficed 
to  wish  the  good  of  the  island,  and  to  effect  it,  is  all  that 
depends  upon  me,  I  hope  that,  with  the  aid  of  the  Divine 
Being,  I  shall  succeed.  The  tyrants  are  cast  down  upon 
the  earth ;  they  will  no  more  defile  the  places  where  the 
standard  of  liberty  and  equality  ought  to  float  alone,  and 
where  the  sacred  rights  of  men  ought  to  be  recognized. 
Officers  and  soldiers,  if  there  is  a  compensation  in  the  se- 
vere labors  which  I  am  about  to  enter  on,  I  shall  find  it  in 
the  satisfaction  of  commanding  brave  soldiers.  Let  the 
sacred  fire  of  liberty  animate  us,  and  let  us  never  take  re- 
pose until  we  have  prostrated  our  foes !" 

Although  a  soldier,  he  felt  that  the  true  mission  of  the 
sword  is  to  conquer  peace ;  and  in  time  of  peace  he  rec- 
ognized that  true  prosperity  reposes  upon  the  industry  of 
all  the  people.  Consequently  he  issued  a  general  amnesty, 
and  encouraged  the  blacks  to  cultivate  the  fields.  Agri- 
culture and  commerce  were  of  great  moment,  and  busi- 
ness prosperity  came  as  the  sequence  of  a  general  confi- 
dence in  Toussaint.  His  proclamation  of  amnesty  was 
published  at  Cayes,  August  1, 1800,  and  from  their  hiding- 
places  Frenchmen  and  Englishmen,  Spaniards  and  mulat- 
toes,  hurried  back  home  to  enjoy  the  security  of  a  Ne- 
gro's protection.  Prejudices  and  grudges,  distinctions  and 
differences,  disappeared  amid  the  general  prosperity  that 
healed  the  wounds  of  the  past.  The  great  Negro  soldier 
called  about  him  able  advisers  of  both  races,  and  made  a 
constitution  and  built  a  republic. 


46  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Restrained  by  his  powerful  hand,  the  Negro  regiments 
left  in  garrison  did  little  harm ;  and  the  distinctive  ele- 
ments of  French  administrative  policy  diffused  a  feeling 
of  security  throughout  the  entire  island.  By  his  strik- 
ing individuality  and  marvellous  executive  ability  he  had 
organized  an  army  out  of  a  mob;  and  with  his  splendid 
talents  he  saw  that  the  ends  of  victory  were  freedom  and 
republicanism.  In  building  a  republic  he  adhered  to  cer- 
tain fundamental  principles.  Santo  Domingo  had  been 
monopolized  by  a  few  planters  who  had  enjoyed  enor- 
mous gains  from  the  unrequited  toil  of  slave  labor.  The 
island  had  had  little  or  no  communication  with  the  out- 
side world.  Now  that  slavery  and  the  slave-trade  were 
gone,  Toussaint  saw  the  necessity  of  building  up  trade 
with  the  outside  world.  With  no  industries  to  compete 
with  the  manufactured  goods  of  other  countries,  his  con- 
stitution declared  in  favor  of  "free-trade"  Citizenship 
was  broad  as  the  island ;  and  the  passport  to  political 
station  was  the  possession  of  character  and  competency. 
History  records  him  a  Catholic ;  and  some  have  held  this  to 
be  a  synonyme  for  bigotry  and  intolerance.  And  yet  this 
"  intolerant  bigot "  makes  his  critics  look  small  in  placing 
these  noble  sentiments  in  his  constitution :  "  I  would  not 
jeopardize  the  sacred  rights  of  conscience,  so  dear  to  every 
man,  but  grant  all  the  privilege  of  worshipping  God  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  their  conscience." 

The  nineteenth  century  opened  auspiciously  for  the 
great  Negro  soldier  and  the  cause  he  represented.  Under 
his  military  administration  new  roads  had  been  con- 
structed, streams  had  been  bridged,  carriages  had  been  in- 
troduced for  the  first  time,  and  increasing  confidence  and 
growing  trade  had  led  to  large  expenditures  in  magnifi- 
cent private  residences  and  commodious  public  buildings. 
The  transition  from  bondage  to  freedom  was  effected 


IX  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  47 

without  arrogance,  pomp,  or  social  convulsion.  With 
gratitude  restrained  by  humility,  the  ex  -  slave  turned  to 
his  new  relations,  duties,  and  responsibilities.  Everything 
was  changed  for  the  better.  Treason  and  rebellion  had 
been  buried  in  the  bloody  and  inhospitable  trenches  of  an 
internecine  war.  The  after-thought  of  the  planters  made 
them  the  advocates  of  free  labor,  the  friends  of  freedom, 
and  the  supporters  of  republican  government.  Well- 
mounted  forts  policed  the  bay,  and  slave-vessels  found  no 
market  here  for  their  human  chattels.  France,  England, 
Spain,  and  Holland  found  a  ready  market  for  their  manu- 
factured goods  ;  while  the  raw  products  of  the  island  were 
eagerly  sought.  Peace  and  prosperity  prevailed  through- 
out the  Spanish  and  French  portions  of  the  island,  and 
an  era  of  gladness  and  good  feeling  had  dawned  upon  all 
the  people. 

But  the  greatest  soldier  of  modern  times  was  upon  the 
French  throne.  Bonaparte  was  a  soldier  by  nature,  art, 
and  practice.  However,  he  was  a  stranger  to  the  impulses 
of  humanity,  the  dictates  of  reason,  and  the  principles  of 
justice.  The  fame  of  the  Negro  general  of  Santo  Domin- 
go excited  his  jealousy,  and  from  his  throne  he  plotted 
for  his  destruction.  On  the  20th  of  May,  1801,  Napoleon 
issued  a  decree  abrogating  all  the  laws  of  Santo  Domingo 
conferring  freedom  upon  the  slaves  and  extending  man- 
hood suffrage  to  the  island.  Rightly  measuring  the 
strength  of  the  Negro  commander-in-chief,  an  expedition 
was  ordered  to  reduce  the  island  to  submission.  An  army 
of  thirty-five  thousand  men  was  sent  forward  in  sixty  of 
the  best  vessels  of  the  world.  Spain  and  Holland  hired 
their  ships  to  the  arch-enemy  of  human  liberty.  The 
troops  were  the  flower  of  the  French  army.  The  snowy 
Alps  of  northern  Europe,  the  arid  sands  of  southern 
Egypt,  the  Rhine  and  the  Nile,  had  witnessed  their  ex- 


48  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ploits  and  resounded  with,  their  triumphs.  These  famous 
veterans  now  left  homes  and  government  and  lands  that 
boasted  of  high  civilization  to  bear  chains  to  another  peo- 
ple in  their  little  insular  home.  The  ocean  was  covered 
with  a  magnificent  armament  to  punish  a  contumacious 
slave,  and  to  put  back  the  hands  upon  the  clock  of  civili- 
zation because,  forsooth,  a  Negro  soldier  had  set  them  for- 
ward by  his  sword.  General  Leclerc,  a  fine  soldier,  and 
brother-in-law  to  Bonaparte,  commanded  this  extraordinary 
expedition. 

In  due  time  the  French  troops  reached  the  scene  of  a 
most  remarkable  struggle  to  turn  a  revolution  backward. 
Toussaint  was  absent  in  the  Spanish  portion  of  the  island 
when  Leclerc  sent  word  ashore  that  he  intended  to  land. 
His  message  came  to  the  hands  of  a  brave  black  brigadier- 
general  named  Christophe,  who  was  in  command  at  the 
Cape.  "  Tell  General  Leclerc,"  responded  the  Negro  gen- 
eral, "that  I  cannot  permit  him  to  land  without  orders 
from  the  commander-in-chief." 

"But  the  French  are  about  to  land,"  rejoined  the  officer 
from  the  expedition. 

"In  that  case  tell  General  Leclerc  that  if  he  attempts 
to  land  his  troops  on  this  island  I  will  fight  him  on  the 
ashes  of  a  burning  city !"  exclaimed  the  black  Spartan. 

The  French  army  began  to  land  towards  the  end  of  the 
day.  General  Christophe  took  a  torch,  and  with  his  own 
hands  first  fired  his  beautiful  residence  recently  completed 
by  Parisian  decorative  artists.  He  ordered  his  troops  to 
fire  the  city,  and  fought  falling  back  towards  the  hill-coun- 
try. The  scenes  that  followed  defy  description. 

In  every  house  in  Santo  Domingo  there  were  peace  and 
plenty  —  the  sweet  angels  of  domestic  charity.  Fathers 
were  just  home  from  toil  that  was  lightened  and  sweet- 
ened by  the  love  that  waited  and  watched  for  them  at  the 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  49 

door  or  gate ;  mothers  were  lifting  high,  their  babes  to 
the  plodding  churl  in  the  mountains,  whose  wife  and  chil- 
dren were  his  rulers,  and  his  home  their  throne.  Little 
lights  were  beginning  to  blink  along  the  streets  of  the 
Cape,  and  over  many  an  evening  meal  there  were  healthy 
laughter  and  good  cheer.  The  whole  scene  was  admira- 
ble. No  news  of  invasion  or  conquest  had  reached  these 
simple  islanders  ;  no  treaty  negotiations  had  been  inau- 
gurated ;  no  insult  had  been  offered  to  France  by  her  in- 
sular subjects.  No  principal  of  law,  no  sentiment  of  jus- 
tice, no  interest  of  humanity  had  been  violated.  And, 
without  warning  or  knowledge,  the  remorseless  mailed 
hand  of  military  power  was  at  the  throat  of  human  liberty. 
The  roar  of  cannon,  the  rattle  of  musketry,  the  rush- 
ing, devouring  flame  of  fire,  was  the  prelude  to  this  mon- 
strous military  tragedy.  General  Leclerc  sent  forward  his 
troops  in  four  columns  of  echelon ;  but  these  columns 
were  penetrated  and  thrown  into  confusion  by  the  bound- 
less fury  and  matchless  bravery  of  Christophe's  black  sol- 
diers. The  men  who  but  a  few  hours  before  were  as  gen- 
tle as  lambs  in  the  imagined  security  of  their  homes,  were 
now  like  wild  beasts  stirred  for  the  life  of  their  young. 
The  pets  of  the  Imperial  household  never  encountered 
fiercer  fighting.  The  old,  infirm,  and  helpless  children 
were  hurried  to  the  mountains,  and  women  turned  Ama- 
zons and  fought  with  perfect  abandon.  The  wounded 
refused  to  yield  their  place  in  battle,  and  most  of  them 
fought  while  strength  endured.  The  dying  scornfully  de- 
clined to  be  succored  by  the  invader,  and  died  pronounc- 
ing curses  and  imprecations  upon  the  French.  Negro 
soldiership  wrote  its  certificate  for  valor  in  the  prodigal 
blood  that  dyed  the  streets  of  the  city  of  the  Cape  on 
that  eventful  night.  "When  the  battle  was  at  its  height, 
Toussaint  1'Ouverture  appeared  upon  the  scene.  He 
4 


50  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

gazed  a  moment  at  the  carnage  and  destruction,  and 
then,  rising  in  his  stirrups,  reined  in  his  horse,  and,  above 
the  tumult  of  battle,  cried,  "  Burn  the  city,  children !  poi- 
son the  wells !  fly  to  the  mountains !  and  make  this  island 
the  hell  the  white  man  comes  to !"  He  had  taken  in  the 
situation  at  a  glance,  and  his  heroic  order  at  first  checked 
the  pulse  of  battle ;  but  in  a  moment  the  magnetic  shock 
of  his  presence  and  words  flew  like  lightning  to  the  heart 
of  every  Negro  soldier.  The  fainting,  wavering,  tugging 
columns  of  his  brave  troops  that  were  staggering  heroic- 
ally against  the  veterans  of  the  French  army  took  cour- 
age. New  life  flowed  through  the  Negro  columns  like  a 
gift  from  the  gods.  Toussaint's  voice  was  as  new  wine  to 
their  fainting  hearts,  and  his  inspiring  presence  was  now 
their  glorious  ensign  of  battle. 

The  Negro  army  fell  back  gradually  from  the  charred 
and  burning  city,  but  rallied  on  the  plains  under  the 
mountains.  They  threw  themselves  with  desperation  upon 
the  wavering  columns  of  Leclerc,  and  hung  upon  his 
flanks.  The  whole  scene  had  deeply  affected  the  French 
troops,  and  their  fighting  was  little  more  than  self-defence. 
The  hollow  square  was  ordered  to  save  the  veterans  from 
being  routed,  but  the  Negro  troops  formed  and  struck  the 
squares  on  three  sides  with  dauntless  valor  and  crushing 
effect.  Back  went  the  Negro  column  to  form  again.  This 
time  the  black  troops  charged,  singing  "  La  Marseillaise :" 

"Aliens,  enfants  de  la  Patrie: 
Le  jour  de  gloire  est  arrive! 
Centre  nous  de  la  tyrannic 
L'etendard  sanglant  est  level"  etc. 

And  as  they  reached  the  trembling  squares  of  the  in- 
vaders, they  sang  aloud : 

"Auxarmes!  Citoyens;  formez  vos  bataillons ; 
Marchez!  marchez!  qu'un  sang  irapur  abreuve  nos  sillons  !" 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  51 

Doubtless  French  soldiers  could  fight  ex-slaves,  but  they 
could  not  fight  their  national  hymn.  Many  French  sol- 
diers cheered,  others  wept,  and  the  entire  command,  ex- 
hausted and  shattered,  staggered  back  to  the  coast.  The 
Negro  troops  retired  to  the  mountains,  fortified  every  de- 
file, and  subsequently  defended  them  like  the  Spartans  at 
Thermopylae. 

Nature  seemed  to  abhor  the  invasion,  for  she  became 
the  ally  of  the  Negro  forces.  A  destructive  fever  attacked 
the  French  troops.  The  Negroes  were  fed  by  nature  from 
spontaneous  vegetation,  and  was  as  good  a  commissariat 
as  these  hardy  soldiers  could  wish  for.  Thirty  thousand 
French  soldiers  fell  in  battle,  and  died  of  wounds  and 
fever.  The  French  contingent  was  recruited  again  and 
again,  but  could  not  conquer  the  Negro  troops  and  a  tropi- 
cal fever. 

Leclerc  sent  proposals  of  peace  to  Toussaint,  but  he 
spurned  any  peace  that  denied  his  compatriots  the  boon 
of  liberty.  At  the  council,  where  he  appeared  in  the  uni- 
form of  a  French  general,  Leclerc  asked  him,  in  rather  a 
factious  spirit,  "  What  would  you  have  done  for  arms  if  I 
had  continued  the  war?"  "I  would  have  taken  yours," 
was  Toussaint's  sharp  reply.1 

An  honorable  peace  was  concluded,  and  the  black  army 
melted  back  among  the  populace,  and  began  to  repair  the 
prodigal  waste  of  war.  No  plotter  or  hireling  of  the 
French  Empire  could  influence  Toussaint's  serenity.  He 
declined  the  offer  of  the  governorship  of  the  island  that 
came  to  him  from  Paris  with  high-sounding  phrases  of 
adulation.  He  preferred  to  retire  to  private  life  after 
having  accomplished  the  object  of  his  public  endeav- 

1  It  is  estimated  that  the  losses  in  this  war  reached  30,000  men,  1,500 
officers  of  all  grades,  among  whom  were  14  generals,  and  700  physicians 
and  surgeons. — G.  W.  W. 


52  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ors  —  the  freedom  of  his  race  and  the  pacification  of  the 
island. 

In  Paris,  where  Bonaparte  was  either  hated  or  feared, 
there  was  much  feeling  respecting  this  costly  expedition 
that  came  to  grief  by  falling  into  the  hands  of  an  accom- 
plished Negro  soldier.  But  everywhere,  among  all  classes 
of  the  people,  there  were  respect,  admiration,  and  sympa- 
thy for  Toussaint.  The  soldiers  of  the  great  Napoleon 
had  scratched  the  Negro  only  to  find  the  Frenchman  there. 
The  Negro  army  spoke  French,  and  was  characteristically 
French  in  its  enthusiasm  and  fighting.  These  facts  were 
more  formidable  than  bullets,  and  the  end  of  the  cam- 
paign was  hailed  by  the  French  people  and  their  army 
with  tumultuous  acclamations  of  joy. 

Pauline  Bonaparte,  sister  to  the  First  Consul  and  wife 
of  General  Leclerc,  a  lady  of  surpassing  beauty,  engaging 
manners,  and  rare  accomplishments,  had  perished  of  fever 
in  Santo  Domingo.  Thus  had  Bonaparte  recklessly  laid 
the  most  costly  treasures  upon  the  altar  of  his  cruel  ambi- 
tion. 

The  expedition  against  the  Negro  soldier  of  Santo  Do- 
mingo increased  the  French  debt  several  million  francs, 
but  added  no  territory  or  revenue  to  the  empire.  The 
Negro  government  was  not  built  of  untempered  mortar. 
It  was  not  erected  upon  the  shifting  sands  of  political  am- 
bition. It  was  built  upon  the  impregnable  foundations  of 
Justice,  Equality,  and  Liberty.  The  guns  of  Bonaparte 
could  not  destroy  such  a  government. 

Reflections  upon  his  failure  to  destroy  the  Negro  repub- 
lic and  to  reduce  its  citizens  to  involuntary  servitude  ex- 
cited the  wrath  of  Bonaparte.  He  determined  to  secure 
Toussaint  by  fair  or  foul  means,  and  a  dinner-party  was 
the  trap  in  which  the  Negro  general  was  caught.  Un- 
warned and  unattended,  he  was  seized  by  French  officers, 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  53 

and  hurried  from  the  festivities  held  in  his  honor  to  a  ves- 
sel awaiting  his  arrival.  As  it  sailed  out  of  the  harbor, 
he  said,  as  he  gazed  upon  the  theatre  of  his  active  life, 
"  They  have  only  felled  the  tree  of  the  freedom  of  the 
blacks ;  branches  will  sprout,  for  the  roots  are  numerous 
and  deep." 

He  was  landed  at  Brest,  August  13, 1802,  and  hurried 
across  the  empire  to  the  Jura  Mountains,  on  the  line  be- 
tween France  and  Switzerland.  He  was  incarcerated  in 
the  dungeon  at  Joux.  Bonaparte  made  no  explanation  of 
this  kidnapping,  and  Toussaint  was  never  arraigned  upon 
any  charge.  Letter  after  letter  was  sent  from  this  living 
tomb  to  the  cruel  monster  on  the  French  throne,  but  no 
sentiment  of  justice,  mercy,  or  humanity  could  be  found 
in  the  heart  of  Bonaparte.  The  distinguished  Negro  pris- 
oner courted  an  early,  impartial,  and  searching  investiga- 
tion into  every  act  of  his  official  life.  If  he  had  been 
guilty  of  even  a  technical  violation  of  the  law,  he  was 
willing  to  suffer  the  penalty.  But  no  word  of  compas- 
sion reached  his  dungeon,  no  ray  of  hope  penetrated  its 
gloom,  and  no  recognition  of  his  consummate  services  to 
France,  or  his  rank  in  her  service,  was  made.  He  was  the 
victim  of  studied  neglect  and  a  murderous  plot.  His  dun- 
geon was  always  damp,  and  had  ice  on  the  floor  and  walls 
for  at  least  five  months  of  the  year.  The  eternal  snows 
looked  down  upon  his  prison,  and  the  piercing  gales  from 
the  north  swept  it  with  relentless  fury.  He  was  kept  in 
close  confinement,  and  even  the  coarse  food  allotted  him 
was  reduced  in  quantity.  It  was  tossed  to  him  as  if  he 
were  a  dog;  and  the  inhuman  keeper  was  not  slow  in 
discovering  that  the  way  to  the  royal  favor  was  over  the 
dead  body  of  his  prisoner.  With  the  key  to  Toussaint's 
dungeon,  it  was  only  necessary  for  this  keeper  to  absent 
himself  in  Switzerland  for  four  days.  Upon  his  return, 


54  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

he  found  that  his  work  had  been  well  done.  The  great 
Negro  soldier  had  succumbed  to  hunger  and  cold,  and  his 
solitary  but  vicious  companions,  the  rats,  had  gnawed  his 
body.  He  expired  on  the  27th  of  April,  1803,  after 
nearly  a  twelve-month  of  hunger,  cold,  and  neglect.  This 
tragedy  was  commemorated  in  song  and  story,  and  civ- 
ilized Europe  thrilled  with  passionate  grief  at  the  news 
of  Toussaint's  death.  And  the  wail  that  swept  from  the 
Antilles  told  the  world  how  the  great  Negro  soldier  had 
attached  himself  to  the  cause  of  humanity. 

The  Nemesis  of  retribution  is  the  divine  ingredient  in 
history.  The  Negro  general  was  kidnapped  at  the  instance 
of  the  First  Consul,  and  was  transported  from  the  warm 
climate  of  the  south  to  the  cold  climate  of  the  north. 
He  was  then  left  to  perish  from  cold,  hunger,  and  neglect. 
Time  swept  apace ;  the  mutations  of  political  fortune  at 
length  made  Bonaparte  a  national  prisoner.  The  man 
from  the  north  was  then  transported  to  the  south  ;  and 
amid  the  heat  and  thunder  and  lightning  of  St.  Helena, 
Toussaint's  imperial  murderer  died  far  from  kindred  and 
friends. 

Let  the  muse  of  history  behold  the  damp  dungeon  floor 
of  Joux,  where  the  virtuous  Negro  soldier  died  in  loneli- 
ness and  want ;  next  gaze  at  the  magnificent  tomb  of  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte  at  Paris,  and  then  look  upon  the  exqui- 
site tomb  of  the  Prince  Napoleon  at  "Windsor  Castle. 
There  is  no  monumental  marble  or  brass  to  commemorate 
the  noble  acts  of  the  Negro  soldier ;  but  in  his  island 
home  the  little  republic  he  built  still  stands  a  monument 
to  his  valor  as  a  soldier  and  sagacity  as  a  statesman ;  while 
his  deeds,  like  stars,  illumine  the  page  of  history,  and  his 
Christian  character  and  shining  example  have  an  immortal 
place  in  the  literature  of  the  world.  Magnificent  as  is  the 
tomb  of  the  First  Consul,  nothing  that  he  accomplished 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  55 

while  alive  remains.  Not  only  did  the  idea  he  entertained 
of  universal  empire  fail,  but  the  monarchy  for  which  he 
fought  so  many  famous  battles  has  long  since  been  sup- 
planted by  a  republic;  and  the  tendency  of  the  State 
he  strove  to  coerce  is  now  strongly  republican,  f  The 
Prince  Napoleon  was  killed  by  Zulus  in  Africa,  ana  thus 
the  last  representative  of  the  French  military  empire  was 
cut  off  by  the  very  race  from  which  Toussaint's  grandfa- 
ther sprang — for  the  blood  of  kings  flowed  in  the  veins 
of  Toussaint ! 


"Though  the  mills  of  God  grind  slowly,  yet  they  grind  exceeding 

small ; 

Though  with  patience  He  stands  waiting,  with  exactness  grinds  He 
all." 

MEXICO  never  discriminated  against  or  proscribed  any 
of  its  citizens  on  account  of  race  or  complexion.  Negroes 
have  carried  the  musket  and  worn  shoulder-straps  in  the 
Mexican  army ;  and  in  the  war  for  the  independence  of 
that  country  many  Negroes  distinguished  themselves  upon 
the  battle-field.1 

In  the  War  of  1812  in  the  United  States  of  America 
free  Negroes  participated  in  the  land  and  naval  forces. 
On  the  21st  of  September,  1814,  Major-general  Andrew 
Jackson,  commanding  the  seventh  military  district,  with 
headquarters  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  issued  an  appeal  to  the 
free  Negroes  of  Louisiana  to  join  his  army.  He  confessed 
that "  a  mistaken  policy  "  had  hitherto  excluded  them  from 
the  army,  but  declared  that  it  should  be  so  "  no  longer." 
Every  free  Negro  volunteering  to  serve  during  the  "  con- 
test with  Great  Britain  "  was  to  "  be  paid  the  same  bounty 
in  money  and  lands  "  that  were  given  to  "  white  soldiers  of 
the  United  States  ;"  and  this  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 

1  Manuscript  letter  of  the  Mexican  Minister  to  the  author. 


56  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

twenty-four  dollars  "  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land."  The  General  reserved  the  right  to  appoint  their 
officers,  but  the  non-commissioned  officers  were  to  be  taken 
from  among  the  troops.  These  Negro  soldiers  were  to  be 
formed  into  a  separate  regiment,  and  "  pursuing  the  path 
of  glory,"  were  to  "  receive  the  applause  and  gratitude  "  of 
their  countrymen.1 

The  enlistment  of  the  free  Negroes  of  Louisiana  was  be- 
gun towards  the  end  of  September,  1814:,  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Governor  of  the  State.  The  recruits  came 
forward  in  large  numbers  and  with  patriotic  enthusiasm. 
The  great  majority  of  them  were  educated  freeholders, 
capable  of  speedy  discipline.  Within  sixty  days  ttiey 
were  organized  and  drilled,  and  ready  for  the  field.  On 
Sunday,  December  18, 1814,  General  Jackson  reviewed  the 
American  army  in  front  of  New  Orleans.  The  British 
forces  were  pushing  their  way  up  the  Mississippi  River 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  A  battle  was  impending,  and 
New  Orleans  was  in  a  state  of  feverish  excitement.  Gen- 
eral Jackson  had  written  an  address  to  the  army,  and  a 
portion  of  it  was  addressed  to  the  Negro  troops.  Adju- 
tant-general Edward  Livingston  rode  to  the  head  of  the 
troops,  and  read,  in  rich,  sonorous  tones,  an  address  to  the 
Negro  soldiers.  They  were  praised  for  the  possession  of 
all  physical  qualities  necessary  to  the  profession  of  arms, 
and  assured  that  they  had  surpassed  the  General's  hopes. 
"  I  have  found  in  you,"  continued  the  General,  "  united  to 
these  qualities,  that  noble  enthusiasm  which  impels  to 
great  deeds."2 

On  the  battle-field  these  troops  justified  the  expectations 
of  the  Government  and  fulfilled  the  hopes  of  General  Jack- 

1  Niles's  "Register, "vol.  vii.,  p.  205. 
*  Ibid.,  vol.  vii.,  pp.  345,  346. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  57 

son.  They  were  found  to  be  brave  and  steady,  perform- 
ing with  cheerfulness  and  celerity  every  order  that  was 
given  them. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  1814,  one  month  after  the  call 
for  Negro  volunteers  in  Louisiana,  the  Legislature  of  New 
York  enacted  a  law  for  the  incorporation  of  two  regiments 
of  free  Negroes.  The  men  were  to  receive  the  same  pay 
and  bounty  as  white  soldiers,  and  were  to  be  placed  upon 
a  regular  army  footing.  They  were  to  be  stationed  with- 
in and  for  the  defence  of  the  State ;  but  if  the  United 
States  would  furnish  pay  and  subsistence  they  might  be 
transferred  from  state  to  national  service.  Even  slaves, 
obtaining  written  permission  from  their  master  or  mis- 
tress, could  enlist  in  either  of  these  two  regiments.  But 
at  the  end  of  three  years'  faithful  service,  or  upon  honor- 
able discharge,  such  slaves  as  had  enlisted  were  emanci- 
pated. If  such  manumitted  persons  became  infirm  after 
being  in  the  service,  they  were  to  be  maintained  by  the 
town  where  they  were  registered.1 

By  an  order  promulgated  by  the  War  Department,  Cap- 
tain William  Bezeau,  Twenty-sixth  United  States  Infan- 
try, was  ordered  to  take  charge  of  the  recruiting  station  at 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  He  served  in  this  capacity 
from  July,  1814,  till  the  spring  of  1815.  From  the  30th 
of  August,  1814,  till  the  15th  of  February,  1815,  he  re- 
cruited and  mustered  into  the  United  States  Army  two 
hundred  and  forty-seven  Negroes. 

During  this  war  the  recruiting  officers  of  the  United 
States  Army  accepted  Negro  recruits,  and  by  July,  1815, 
over  three  hundred  had  been  mustered  into  the  service. 

1  "Laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,"  chap,  xviii.  Thirty-eighth  Session. 


58  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


CHAPTER  III. 

ANTECEDENT    FACTS. FORESHADOWING    EVENTS. 

THE  two  years  immediately  preceding  the  Rebellion 
were  teeming  with  unprecedented  events.  Almost  every 
question  of  public  interest  was  directly  or  indirectly  con- 
nected with  one  phase  or  another  of  the  slavery  problem. 
Thirty  years  of  vigorous  anti-slavery  agitation  had  forced 
men  into  or  out  of  parties ;  had  made  them  declare  for 
the  restriction  or  extension  of  slavery — its  nationalization 
or  extinction.  Slavery  was  like  a  dangerous  coast  with 
hidden  reefs,  where  wild  gales  and  stormy  breakers  blow 
and  dash.  It  overshadowed  every  other  question  of  na- 
tional importance,  and  against  its  hidden  reefs  and  treach- 
erous currents  the  fierce  gales  of  public  events  seemed 
driving  the  Ship  of  State.  Two  great  political  parties 
were  confronting  each  other  on  the  vital  question — Free- 
dom national  and  slavery  sectional.  The  Democratic  par- 
ty had  administered  the  Government  for  a  longer  period 
of  time  than  any  other  party  in  modern  times  in  the  West- 
ern world.  It  had  degenerated  in  leadership,  was  pover- 
ty-stricken for  issues,  and  was  now  unworthy  of  its  found- 
ers. Having  been  long  kept  together  by  the  cohesiveness 
of  public  plunder,  it  was  in  a  state  of  senility. 

The  Republican  party  was  young,  but  had  recruited  its 
ranks  from  a  dozen  different  detachments,  which,  although 
fighting  on  their  own  responsibility,  were  nevertheless 
seeking  the  preservation  of  the  union  of  the  States  against 
the  menaces  of  the  slave  power.  This  new  political  or- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  59 

ganization,  with  the  ardor  of  youth  and  the  zeal  of  truth, 
was  united  upon  the  question  of  the  restriction  of  the 
slave  power.  The  opposing  party  was  divided  upon  a 
number  of  vital  questions.  On  the  llth  of  May,  1859,  a 
Southern  convention  at  Yicksburg,  Mississippi,  represent- 
ing eight  States,  passed  resolutions  favoring  the  reopening 
of  the  African  slave-trade.  This  had  a  bewildering  effect 
upon  many  Northern  Democrats,  and  threw  anti-slavery 
men  and  Republicans  into  violent  unrest.  On  the  8th 
of  June  the  slave-holders  of  Maryland  met  in  convention 
at  Baltimore,  with  county  representation,  and  at  the  same 
time  there  was  a  wide -spread  feeling  in  favor  of  mak- 
ing slave  property  more  secure  throughout  the  Southern 
States.  But  the  concern  respecting  slavery  was  not  all  on 
one  side.  Already  the  mild  Quaker  views  of  Lundy  were 
giving  away  to  the  stalwart  opinions  of  the  aggressive 
party  under  the  leadership  of  Captain  John  Brown.  The 
South  had  startled  the  North  by  insolence  and  brutality 
in  the  National  Congress,  and  by  its  offensive  assertions 
of  its  right  to  carry  slave  property  into  any  State,  and  of 
its  intention  to  leave  the  family  of  States.  But  Captain 
John  Brown  gave  the  South  the  most  tremendous  fright 
it  had  ever  had,  until  the  embattled  guns  of  a  victorious 
army  put  the  Confederacy  and  the  slave-power  in  the  dust 
of  defeat.  On  Sunday  night,  October  16,  1859,  Captain 
John  Brown,  at  the  head  of  twenty-one  men,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  United  States  arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Vir- 
ginia, and  held  it  against  the  military  forces  of  Virginia 
and  Maryland  until  the  morning  of  the  18th,  when  it  was 
stormed  by  the  United  States  Marines.  A  mail-train  was 
detained  six  hours ;  Colonel  Lewis  Washington,  a  descend- 
ant of  George  Washington,  was  arrested,  and  the  quiet 
town  of  Harper's  Ferry  thrown  into  intense  excitement. 
The  news  of  this  remarkable  occurrence  struck  terror  to 


60  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

the  heart  of  the  South,  and  was  the  event  of  absorbing  in- 
terest for  months.  On  the  19th  of  November  the  village 
of  Charlestown,  Virginia,  was  excited  by  the  rumor  of  an 
attempt  to  rescue  John  Brown ;  and  on  the  30th  of  the 
same  month  a  resolution  was  offered  in  the  South  Caro- 
lina Legislature  declaring  in  favor  of  secession  with  oth- 
er slave -holding  States.  On  the  2d  of  December  John 
Brown  was  hanged ;  and  on  the  20th  the  medical  students 
from  the  South,  in  Philadelphia,  resolved  to  secede  and 
join  Southern  colleges. 

The  year  1860  opened  amid  the  greatest  excitement. 
The  John  Brown  tragedy  had  dragged  its  ghastly  length 
into  the  new  year,  and  on  the  16th  of  March  Hazlitt  and 
Stevens,  compatriots  of  John  Brown,  were  publicly  exe- 
cuted at  Charlestown,  Yirginia.  The  National  House  of 
Representatives  was  in  great  excitement  over  the  slavery 
question.  Messrs.  Potter  and  Pryor  made  a  scene  on  the 
floor  of  the  House  on  the  5th  of  April,  and  the  Southern 
press  was  impatient,  insolent,  and  impulsive.  On  the  23d 
of  April  the  National  Democratic  party  met  at  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina.  There  were  delegates  from  thirty 
States  in  the  Union,  numbering  three  hundred  and  three 
(303).  This  venerable  organization,  that  had  moved  steadi- 
ly to  battle  in  other  days  like  a  Roman  phalanx,  was  now 
rent  by  schism  and  weakened  by  conflicting  interests.  The 
question  of  slavery  in  the  Territories,  the  Dred  Scott  de- 
cision, the  validity  of  slave  property  under  the  Constitu- 
tion, the  Douglas  theory  of  popular  sovereignty,  and  other 
lesser  questions  were  pressing  for  solution.  After  many 
ballots,  boisterous  sessions,  and  much  fruitless  labor,  the 
convention  adjourned  on  the  4th  of  May — having  sat  for 
ten  days — to  convene  again  at  Baltimore  on  the  18th  of 
June. 

Meanwhile  a  Constitutional  Union  Convention  met  at 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  61 

Baltimore  on  the  9th  of  May,  representing  twenty  States, 
and  nominated  for  President  John  Bell,  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent Edward  Everett.  On  the  16th  of  May  the  National 
Republican  Convention  convened  at  Chicago,  and  on  the 
18th  nominated  for  President  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illi- 
nois, for  Vice-President  Hannibal  Hanilin,  of  Maine.  The 
proceedings  were  harmonious;  the  platform  report  was 
received  without  debate,  and  on  the  third  ballot  Mr.  Lin- 
coln received  354  votes  out  of  446.  On  the  1st  of  June 
the  Maryland  House  of  Delegates  prohibited  the  manu- 
mission of  slaves  in  that  State ;  and  on  the  23d  of  June 
the  National  Democratic  party  nominated  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  of  Illinois,  for  President,  by  a  vote  of  173£,  and 
for  Vice-President  Senator  Benjamin  Fitzpatrick,  of  Ala- 
bama, by  acclamation.  On  the  same  day  and  in  the  same 
city  the  seceding  delegates  from  the  Charleston  convention 
met  and  nominated  for  President  John  C.  Breckinridge, 
of  Kentucky,  for  Vice-President  General  Joseph  Lane. 

The  canvass  that  followed  these  conventions  was  the 
most  remarkable  in  the  annals  of  political  parties.  The 
meetings  were  numerous  and  largely  attended,  and  the 
speeches  of  the  orators  rang  with  fiery  earnestness  from 
one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other.  The  Republican 
party  was  making  its  second  contest — and  it  was  the  Re- 
publican party  against  the  field.  It  proved  itself  worthy 
of  admiration  and  support.  It  had  the  courage  to  assert 
its  convictions  and  principles  upon  the  political  arena.  It 
boldly  opposed  the  extension  of  slavery  into  the  Territo- 
ries, and  maintained  that  slavery  could  exist  only  by  local 
positive  law.  Slavery  was  regarded  as  an  evil  threatening 
the  national  life,  and  it  was  urged  that  its  ultimate  ex- 
tinction should  be  contemplated  by  the  Government.  The 
Southern  wing  of  the  Democratic  party,  under  the  lead  of 
Breckinridge,  boldly  asserted  the  moral  and  legal  right  to 


62  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

buy,  sell,  own,  and  transport  slaves  into  the  Territories,  and 
maintained  that  there  could  be  no  judicial  interference 
with  slavery  outside  of  the  States,  except  by  prescription 
of  the  Constitution.  The  Douglas  wing  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  adhered  to  the  doctrine  of  State  sovereignty, 
and  evaded  all  other  issues.  The  American  party,  led  by 
Mr.  Bell,  kept  before  the  people  its  ideas  of  emigration 
and  naturalization,  but  would  not  commit  itself  upon  the 
slavery  question. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1860,  Lincoln  and  Harnlin 
were  elected  by  a  popular  vote  of  1,866,452,  securing  180 
electoral  votes.  Mr.  Douglas  secured  1,375,157  ballots 
from  the  people,  but  only  12  votes  in  the  Electoral  Col- 
lege. Mr.  Breckinridge  obtained  847,953  votes  at  the 
polls,  and  secured  76  electoral  votes.  Mr.  Bell's  vote 
reached  570,631,  securing  for  him  39  electors. 

Unfortunately,  the  South  regarded  the  election  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  as  a  casus  ~belli.  The  wildest  confusion  and  dis- 
gust prevailed  at  the  South,  while  the  North  hailed  the 
result  as  friendly  to  the  country.  On  the  22d  of  Novem- 
ber the  banks  of  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Washington 
suspended  specie  payment,  and  the  business  of  the  coun- 
try was  almost  paralyzed.  And  as  if  to  shock  business 
confidence  all  over  the  country,  the  United  States  Treas- 
ury suspended  specie  payment  on  the  5th  of  December. 

The  Republic  seemed  trembling  on  the  verge  of  some 
impending  catastrophe.  A  committee  of  thirty-three  mem- 
bers of  the  National  House  of  Representatives  was  ap- 
pointed and  charged  to  take  into  consideration  measures 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Government  on  the  6th  of  De- 
cember, and  on  the  llth  Ho  well  Cobb,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  resigned.  On  the  day  following,  General  Win- 
field  Scott  arrived  in  Washington  and  conferred  with  the 
President.  The  country  was  excited  and  anxious,  but  no 


IN   THE   WAR  01'  THE  REBELLION.  63 

one  could  tell  what  a  day  would  bring  forth.  On  the  14th 
of  December  Lewis  Cass,  Secretary  of  State,  resigned,  and 
the  next  day  President  Buchanan  appointed  January  4th 
as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  A  Secession  Convention 
at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  passed  an  ordinance  to  with- 
draw that  State  from  the  Union  on  the  20th,  and  thence- 
forward there  was  little  doubt  in  the  public  mind  that 
the  South  would  attempt  to  dissolve  the  Union.  On  the 
24th  an  effort  to  remove  the  ordnance  from  the  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania,  arsenal  was  successfully  resisted  by  patriot-' 
ic  citizens.  Two  days  later  Major  Robert  Anderson  was 
compelled  to  evacuate  Fort  Moultrie  and  retire  to  Fort 
Sumter.  John  B.  Floyd,  Secretary  of  War,  resigned  his 
portfolio  on  the  29th,  and  the  next  day  the  citizens  of 
Charleston  seized  the  Government  arsenal  at  that  place. 
And  so  the  year  ended  in  excitement,  and  amid  efforts  to 
dissolve  the  Union. 

On  the  4th  day  of  January,  1861,  Fort  Morgan,  in  Mo- 
bile harbor,  was  seized  by  Alabama  troops,  and  four  days 
later  two  more  forts,  Johnson  and  Caswell,  in  North  Caro- 
lina, were  seized  by  State  troops.  On  the  same  day  Ja- 
cob Thompson,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  resigned.  Mis- 
sissippi voted  herself  out  of  the  Union  on  the  9th,  and  the 
first  guns  of  the  Rebellion  were  fired  from  the  forts  on 
Morris  Island,  South  Carolina,  upon  the  Star  of  the  West, 
and  she  was  driven  to  sea. '  Florida  seceded  on  the  10th, 
and  Alabama  on  the  llth ;  and  on  the  12th  the  revenue- 
cutter,  Lewis  Cass,  was  captured  by  State  authorities  at 
New  Orleans ;  the  Pensacola,  Florida,  navy-yard  was  seized 
on  the  same  day.  The  United  States  Senators  from 
Mississippi  resigned  their  seats  on  the  14th,  and  on  the 
21st  the  Alabama  delegation  in  Congress  withdrew.  Con- 
gress was  in  a  state  bordering  on  panic,  and  the  press  of 
the  North  was  impotent  to  restore  public  confidence.  On 


64  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

the  26th  Louisiana  seceded,  and  the  news  created  deeper 
concern  for  the  safety  of  the  Union.  The  month  of  Feb- 
ruary was  ushered  in  by  an  organized  attempt  on  the  part 
of  the  people  of  Charleston  to  besiege  Fort  Sumter,  and 
Texas  voted  herself  out  of  the  Union.  On  the  2d  of  Feb- 
ruary the  gold  in  the  United  States  mint  at  New  Orleans 
was  seized  by  the  State  authorities.  This  action  swept 
the  country  with  a  wave  of  indignant  excitement,  and  the 
Senators  from  Louisiana — Slidell  and  Benjamin — with- 
drew from  the  Senate  four  days  later.  But  at  last  an 
incredulous  North  was  forced  to  believe  that  the  nation 
was  on  the  eve  of  a  great  civil  struggle.  On  the  9th  of 
February,  1861,  Jefferson  Davis,  of  Mississippi,  was  elected 
President,  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  of  Georgia,  Vice- 
President,  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,  by  a  convention 
representing  the  seceding  States,  at  Montgomery,  Alaba- 
ma. On  the  13th  the  Electoral  College  formally  declared 
the  result  of  the  national  election,  viz.,  that  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  Hannibal  Hamlin  had  been  duly  elected  Presi- 
dent and  Yice-President  of  the  United  States.  Five  days 
later  Messrs.  Davis  and  Stephens  were  inaugurated  at 
Montgomery,  Alabama.  Thus  perished  the  last  hope  of 
averting  a  rupture  of  the  Union. 

A  feeling  of  melancholy  pervaded  the  minds  of  North- 
ern leaders  as  they  saw  the  Southern  States  place  them- 
selves outside  the  sisterhood  of  States.  But  when,  on  the 
22d,  the  birthday  of  George  Washington,  a  plot  to  assassi- 
nate President-elect  Lincoln  was  discovered  in  Baltimore, 
a  feeling  of  horror  and  anger  stirred  the  heart  of  the 
entire  North.  Men  who  had  felt  like  exhausting  every 
measure  of  pacification  and  concession  were  now  eager 
for  war.  The  patience  of  peace-men  was  subject  to  the 
most  provoking  strains  almost  daily.  On  the  4th  of 
March,  1861,  Abraham  Lincoln  was  duly  inaugurated  Pres- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  65 

ident  of  the  United  States  for  four  years ;  and  thus  the 
National  Republican  party  accepted  from  the  American 
people  a  government  rent  by  a  sectional  feud,  and  soon 
to  be  drenched  in  fraternal  blood. 

On  the  llth  of  April  General  G.  T.  Beauregard  de- 
manded the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter;  and  the  demand 
not  having  been  complied  with,  he  began  a  bombardment 
on  the  next  day.  This  lasted  during  the  night  of  the 
12th,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  Major  Robert  An- 
derson surrendered.  On  the  14th  he  marched  his  garri- 
son out  with  arms,  field-music,  and  flying  colors,  receiving 
a  salute  with  the  honors  of  war.  The  war  of  the  Rebel- 
lion was  thus  formally  opened  by  the  South  ;  and  on  the 
15th  of  April,  1861,  the  President  of  the  United  States 
issued  a  call  for  75,000  troops.  On  the  29th  the  Presi- 
dent issued  another  call  for  an  additional  volunteer  force, 
making  158,000  in  all,  and  raising  the  force  of  the  regu- 
lar army  to  85,000  officers  and  enlisted  men. 

The  curtain  was  rung  up,  and  the  civilized  world  be- 
held the  first  act  of  the  bloody  tragedy  of  war.  Neither 
the  South  nor  the  North  admitted  the  Negro  into  the 
army.  Negro  slavery  was  the  evil  genius  that  was  rend- 
ing the  Republic.  From  the  forum  of  political  debate 
and  the  courts  of  law  this  question  of  Negro  slavery  was 
appealed  to  the  Court  of  Civil  War ;  and  the  argument 
begun  at  Sumter  was  to  be  concluded  at  Appomattox, 
with  a  decision  in  favor  of  UNION,  LIBERTY,  EQUALITY,  AND 
FRATERNITY. 
5 


66  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MILITARY    RENDITION    OF    SLAVES. 

AT  first  the  faintest  intimation  that  Negroes  should  be 
employed  as  soldiers  in  the  Union  Army  was  met  with 
derision.  By  many  it  was  regarded  as  a  joke.  The  idea 
of  arming  the  ex-slaves  seemed  ridiculous  to  most  civil 
and  military  officers.  From  the  period  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  this  people  into  the  British  colonies  in  North 
America  down  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion  in 
the  South,  they  had  been  subjected  to  a  most  rigorous 
system  of  bondage  to  the  white  race.  Transported  from 
his  wild  African  home,  the  barbarian,  without  language, 
tradition,  memorials,  or  monuments,  was  kept  in  a  lowly 
condition  of  servitude.  Every  lesson  of  obedience  was 
enforced  and  illustrated  by  the  lash.  He  was  fenced  in 
by  the  laws — met  by  force  at  every  point.  His  whole 
existence  was  a  struggle  with  force  in  nature  and  in 
man.  Eventually  the  wild,  free,  and  impetuous  spirit  of 
the  African  became  pliable,  docile,  and  submissive. 

The  first  generation  of  Africans  in  America  were  more 
tractable  than  their  fathers.  Having  been  reduced  tp 
chattels  by  a  code  of  laws  enacted  by  the  white  race, 
which  claimed  that  it  was  Christian  charity  to  enslave 
the  African  under  the  influence  of  civilization  rather 
than  leave  him  to  barbarism,  he  was  to  be  kept  in  this 
state.  The  slave  code  presupposed  the  natural  and  native 
spirit,  the  aptitude  and  intelligence  of  the  slave.  It  was 
not  enough  that  he  was  bound  with  chains,  because  he 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  67 

was  less  to  be  feared  physically  than  mentally.  In  his 
abject  ignorance  his  enslavers  thought  they  should  find 
security.  That  portion  of  the  slave  code  which  denied 
the  Nggro  slave  facilities  and  privileges  of  learning  was  a 
compliment  to  his  natural  ability  to  acquire  knowledge. 

The  Negro  slave  was  excluded  by  law  from  printing- 
offices,  libraries,  drug-stores,  and  from  all  places  and  em- 
ployments where  a  knowledge  of  letters  and  figures  was 
required.1  He  was  sedulously  kept  in  ignorance  from  the 
first,  until  ignorance  had  almost  become  a  second  nature 
to  him.  He  was  reduced  to  a  machine.  Calm  and  ap- 
parent contentment  followed  resistance  and  unrest.  The 
affections,  once  so  instinct  with  life,  scarcely  quivered 
with  emotion  at  the  sound  of  the  auctioneer's  voice  or  the 
crack  of  the  whip.  Only  the  sharp  cry  of  the  slave  moth- 
er, whose  famishing  child  was  torn  from  her  withered 
bosom,  or  the  deep  sobs  of  the  wife  separated  from  her 
husband,  indicated  that  a  nerve  of  sensation  or  sentiment 
of  affection  was  yet  alive.  They  were  callosed  and  hard- 
ened by  cruel  blows  and  barbarous  treatment.  But  they 
were  not  dead  ;  they  needed  only  the  salve  of  human  sym- 
pathy and  kindness  to  call  them  into  action. 

Most  observing  and  thoughtful  people  concluded  that 
centuries  of  servitude  had  rendered  the  Negro  slave  inca- 
pable of  any  civil  or  military  service.  When  the  Civil 
War  commenced,  the  Negro  was  not  regarded  as  a  help 
in  preserving  the  American  Union,  although  the  unknown 
quantity  in  the  problem  of  war.  His  flight  from  South- 
ern bondage  was  often  arrested  under  the  Union  flag,  and 
his  way  back  to  the  hell  of  slavery  lighted  by  the  gleam 
of  Federal  bayonets.  Every  attempt  to  gain  his  freedom 

1  Many  slaves  were  taught  the  trades  of  machinists  and  carpenters 
for  economic  reasons,  but  their  skill  was  utilized  on  the  plantation 
where  they  belonged. — G.  W.  W. 


68  -A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

by  reaching  the  Union  lines  was  met  by  levelled  muskets 
in  the  hands  of  the  defenders  of  a  free  republic ! 

The  war  found  the  United  States  Government  without 
a  settled  policy  respecting  the  slavery  question.  There 
were,  however,  two  well-defined  views  before  the  civil  and 
military  leaders.  The  President  had  announced  to  the 
army  that  the  real  object  of  its  service  was  "  to  restore 
the  seceding  States  "  to  their  constitutional  relation  to  the 
Union.  It  was  thought  that  the  truant  States  would  come 
back  into  the  Union  within  three  months  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet.  Another  period  was  fixed  upon,  and  nine 
months  was  thought  to  be  ample  time  in  which  to  "re- 
store "  the  rebel  States.  The  slavery  question  had  no  place 
in  the  early  military  policy  of  the  Union  Army.  Slave 
property  was  regarded  as  recognized  and  sustained  by  the 
Constitution.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to  prescribe  a 
more  definite  object  for  the  army. 

The  Southern  States  were  guilty  of  treason,  and  the 
moment  they  levied  war  against  the  United  States  their 
slaves  were  ipso  facto  free.  But  a  conservative,  vacillat- 
ing, hand-to-mouth  policy  held  sway  for  nearly  two  years, 
with  but  one  exception.  Major-general  B.  F.  Butler,  com- 
manding the  Union  forces  at  Fortress  Monroe,  inaugu- 
rated a  new  policy.  It  was  operative  in  his  department, 
received  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  but  was 
rendered  inoperative  within  less  than  a  month.  In  the 
month  of  April  1861,  Flag-officer  G.  J.  Pendergrast,  in 
command  of  the  frigate  Cumberland,  at  that  time  on  block- 
ading service  in  the  Roads,  captured  and  restored  to  their 
masters,  at  Norfolk,  several  fugitive  slaves.  A  few  days 
after  this  occurrence,  the  flag-officer,  General  Butler,  Cap- 
tain Grier  Tallmadge,  and  the  correspondent  of  the  New 
York  Times  chanced  to  meet  on  the  ramparts  of  Fortress 
Monroe.  Captain  Tallraadge  referred  to  the  action  of  the 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  69 

flag-officer,  and  disapproved  his  course  in  returning  the 
slaves.     Turning  to  General  Butler,  Captain  Tallmadge 
continued :  "  General,  it  is  a  question  you  will  have  to  de- 
cide, and  that,  too,  very  soon ;  for  in  less  than  twenty-four 
hours  deserting  slaves  will  commence  swarming  to  your 
lines.     The  rebels  are  employing  their  slaves  in  thousands 
in  constructing  batteries  all  around  us.    And,  in  my  judg- 
ment, in  view  of  this  fact,  not  only  slaves  who  take  refuge 
within  our  lines  are  contraband,  but  I  hold  it  as  much  our 
duty  to  seize  and  capture  those  employed,  or  intended  to 
be  employed,  in  constructing  batteries,  as  it  is  to  destroy 
the  arsenals  or  any  other  war-making  element  of  the  reb- 
els, or  to  capture  and  destroy  the  batteries  themselves." 
It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  know  that  General 
Butler  himself,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1861,  had  written  to 
Governor  Thomas  H.  Hicks,  of  Maryland,  as  follows  :  "  I 
have  understood  within  the  last  hour  that  some  apprehen- 
sions are  entertained  of  an  insurrection  of  the  Negro  pop- 
ulation of  this  neighborhood.     I  am  anxious  to  convince 
all  classes  of  persons  that  the  forces  under  my  command 
are  not  here  in  any  way  to  interfere  with,  or  countenance 
an  interference  with,  the  laws  of  the  State.     I  am  there- 
fore ready  to  co-operate  with  your  Excellency  in  suppress- 
ing most  promptly  and  effectually  any  insurrection  to  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  Maryland."     The  patriotic  governor 
of  Massachusetts,  John  A.  Andrew,  wrote  General  Butler 
as  follows :  "  If  I  rightly  understand  the  telegraphic  de- 
spatch, I  think  that  your  action  in  tendering  to  Governor 
Hicks  the  assistance  of  our  Massachusetts  troops  to  sup- 
press a  threatened  servile  insurrection  among  the  hostile 
people  of  Maryland  was  unnecessary." 

This  declaration  was  made  in  the  early  part  of  the 
month  of  May,  and  within  two  days  General  Butler  put 
the  views  of  Captain  Tallmadge  into  practical  operation. 


70  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Three  slaves,  the  property  of  one  Colonel  Mallory,  of  the 
Confederate  forces  in  front  of  the  Union  lines  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  came  in.  They  told  the  officer  of  the  picket-line 
that  their  master  was  about  to  send  them  to  the  North 
Carolina  seaboard  to  work  on  rebel  fortifications,  and  that 
the  fortifications  were  intended  to  bar  that  coast  against 
the  advance  of  the  Union  forces.  General  Butler,  having 
heard  the  statement  of  the  fugitives,  said,  "  These  men  are 
contraband  of  war ;  set  them  at  work." 

On  the  27th  of  May,  1861,  General  Butler  wrote  to 
Lieutenant-general  Scott  that  the  question  of  slave  prop- 
erty was  becoming  more  embarrassing;  that  the  enemy 
was  using  large  numbers  of  Negroes  in  the  work  of  con- 
structing batteries  on  his  front ;  and  that  the  women  and 
children  of  these  laborers  were  to  be  sent  South  by  the 
rebel  authorities.  However,  many  slaves  were  escaping 
within  his  lines,  and  women  and  children  in  large  num- 
bers were  coming  in  also.  General  Butler  employed  the 
effective  at  fair  wages,  caused  rations  to  be  issued  to  them, 
and  charged  the  support  of  the  non-laborers  against  the 
wages  of  the  laborers.  The  General  maintained  that  by 
this  action  he  was  depriving  the  enemy  of  the  services  of 
these  slaves,  delaying  the  construction  of  his  fortifications, 
and  securing  valuable  aid  to  the  Union  forces.  He  sub- 
mitted the  entire  matter  to  his  chief,  and  forwarded  a 
duplicate  despatch  to  the  Secretary  of  War.1 

The  Secretary  of  War  responded:  "Your  action  in  re- 
spect to  the  Negroes  who  came  within  your  lines  from 
the  service  of  the  rebels  is  approved."  But  the  Secretary, 
after  some  explanations,  hastened  to  qualify:  '"While, 
therefore,  you  will  permit  no  interference,  by  persons  un- 
der your  command,  with  the  relations  of  persons  held  to 

1  Greeley's  "American  Conflict,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  238. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  71 

service  under  the  laws  of  any  State,  you  will,  on  the  other 
hand,  so  long  as  any  State  within  which  your  military 
operations  are  conducted  remains  under  the  control  of 
such  armed  combinations,  refrain  from  surrendering  to 
alleged  masters  any  persons  who  come  within  your 
lines." 

The  War  Department  was  careful  to  employ  the  exact 
language  of  the  Constitution — "(my  person;"  and  the 
words  slave  and  slavery  were  avoided.  Not  only  the  De- 
partment of  War,  but  the  entire  Administration,  was  scru- 
pulously following  that  portion  of  the  Constitution  that 
recognized  property  in  man;  that  gave  legal  sanction  to 
the  cruel  curse  of  human  slavery — but  always  couched  in 
cowardly  phraseology — it  calls  no  names ! 

There  was  considerable  comment  in  the  press,  in  the 
pulpit,  and  in  political  as  well  as  i'n  military  circles,  re- 
specting General  Butler's  order  making  fugitive  slaves 
contraband  of  war.  Most  Union  leaders  approved  his 
action ;  but  the  Government  kept  to  its  slow-coach  ideas. 
There  was  no  doubt  of  the  novelty  of  General  Butler's 
view  and  action ;  and  in  truth  it  was  startling  and  revo- 
lutionary. The  doctrine  of  property  in  man  had  long 
since  been  expurgated  from  the  jurisprudence  of  West- 
ern Europe,  and  the  brave  and  patriotic  men  on  this 
continent  who  had  espoused  the  cause  of  stolen  Africans 
forcibly  held  to  bondage  maintained  that  there  could  be 
no  property  in  man.  All  branches  of  the  anti-slavery 
party  maintained  that  the  slaves  were  illegally  held,  and 
that  in  view  of  the  enlightened  sentiment  of  Europe 
our  laws  on  the  subject  were  barbarous  and  without  moral 
support.  To  have  acknowledged  the  right  and  fact  of 
property  in  man  would  have  changed  the  history  of  the 
anti  -  slavery  movement ;  would  have  made  a  holy  band 
of  philanthropists  a  mob  of  law-breakers.  Slavery  was 


72  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

wrong  both  morally  and  legally,  and  upon  this  ground 
the  New  England  anti-slavery  movement  stood. 

General  Butler  was  born  and  educated  in  New  Eng- 
land ;  and  with  a  commission  from  Massachusetts,  in  the 
second  month  of  the  Rebellion,  reversed  "  the  New  Eng- 
land idea"  by  recognizing  property  in  man!  He  rated 
Negroes  with  mules,  wagons,  muskets,  and  stands  of  col- 
ors. He  decided  that  Negroes  were  property,  and  that  he 
could,  under  the  rules  of  modern  warfare,  appropriate  any 
property  of  the  enemy  he  could  secure.  But  while  this 
false  idea  was  adopted  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  it  died 
almost  before  the  country  was  certain  it  ever  had  official 
countenance. 

The  Army  kept  at  its  work  of  returning  fugitive  slaves 
to  their  rebel  masters.  Even  free  Negroes  were  often 
arrested  on  suspicion  of  being  slaves.  Two  free  Negroes 
from  Frederick,  Maryland,  boarded  the  train  that  conveyed 
Colonel  A.  E.  Burnside's  regiment  from  Baltimore  to 
Washington.  When  they  reached  Washington,  Colonel 
Burnside,  supposing  them  to  be  runaway  slaves,  returned 
them  in  charge  of  a  detail,  and  had  them  cast  into  prison 
at  Baltimore.1  On  the  4th  of  July,  1861,  a  day  hallowed 
by  Revolutionary  memories,  Colonel  Tyler,  of  the  Sev- 
enth Ohio  Regiment,  made  a  speech  to  an  audience  of 
West  Virginia  rebels,  to  assure  the  slave-holders  of  the 
security  of  their  property.  "  As  our  enemies  have  belied 
our  mission,"  said  Colonel  Tyler,  "  and  represented  us  as 
a  band  of  Abolitionists,  I  desire  to  assure  you  that  the 
relation  of  master  and  servant  as  recognized  in  your 
State  shall  be  respected.  Your  authority  over  that  spe- 
cies of  property  shall  not  in  the  least  be  interfered  with. 
To  this  end  I  assure  you  those  under  my  command  have 

1  Baltimore  American,  June  22, 1861. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  73 

peremptory  orders  to  take  up  and  hold  any  Negroes 
found  running  about  the  camp  without  passes  from  their 
masters." 

The  monotony  of  the  military  slave-hunt  was  relieved 
by  a  bold  move  on  the  part  of  General  John  C.  Fremont, 
commanding  the  "  Western  Department."  On  the  6th  of 
August,  1861,  Congress  passed  a  law  entitled  "An  Act  to 
Confiscate  Property  Used  for  Insurrectionary  Purposes" 
An  examination  of  its  text,  as  well  as  the  fiery  debate 
through  which  it  passed,  prove  that  it  was  not  intended  to 
apply  to  slave  property ;  nor  was  it  intended  to  supple- 
ment General  Butler's  action.  On  the  31st  of  August 
General  Fremont,  taking  advantage  of  the  new  law,  is- 
sued a  military  proclamation  from  his  headquarters  in 
St.  Louis  declaring  Missouri  under  martial  law.  All  per- 
sons found  with  arms  in  their  hands  were  to  be  tried  by 
court-martial,  and  if  found  guilty  were  to  be  shot. 

"The  property,"  recited  the  proclamation,  "real  and 
personal,  of  all  persons  in  the  State  of  Missouri  who  shall 
take  up  arms  against  the  United  States,  or  shall  be  direct- 
ly proven  to  have  taken  active  part  with  their  enemies  in 
the  field,  is  declared  to  be  confiscated  to  the  public  use ; 
and  their  slaves,  if  any  they  have,  are  hereby  declared 
free  men."  * 

It  was  gratifying  that  General  Fremont's  proclamation 
did  not  deal  with  Negroes  as  contraband ;  they  were  not 
mixed  with  personal  or  real  property,  but  were  "  declared 
free  men"  This  was  one  of  the  most  effective  measures 
of  the  war.  It  was  the  heroic  treatment  demanded  by 
the  condition  of  affairs  at  the  time.  It  wrought  great 
good  within  twenty-four  hours ;  was  exerting  excellent 
and  moral  influence  throughout  the  South.  But  the  Presi- 

1  Greeley's  "American  Conflict,"  vol  i.,  p.  585. 


74  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

dent  was  not  pleased  with  that  portion  of  the  proclama- 
tion that  emancipated  the  slaves  of  the  men  who  were 
endeavoring  to  destroy  the  Government.  He  requested 
General  Fremont  to  modify  that  portion  of  the  proclama- 
tion liberating  the  slaves.  This  the  General  declined  to 
do,  and  wisely  left  the  President  to  take  the  responsibil- 
ity in  an  Executive  proclamation.  Accordingly,  on  the 
llth  of  September,  the  President,  in  an  open  letter,  cut 
out  the  heart  of  the  Fremont  proclamation,  and  General 
Fremont  was  subsequently  removed,  and  the  good  work 
of  subduing  rebels  and  freeing  Negroes  was  suspended. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1861,  General  Thomas  "W. 
Sherman,  occupying  the  defences  of  Port  Royal,  issued  a 
proclamation  to  the  people  of  South  Carolina.  He  an- 
nounced that  he  had  landed  a  small  force  on  their  shores ; 
that  his  mission  was  one  of  good-will  and  peace ;  that  he 
recalled  many  pleasant  days  spent  among -them,  and  as- 
sured them  that  their  "  local  institution "  would  not  be 
disturbed.1  Fugitive  slaves  found  no  refuge  in  his  camps, 
and  the  Rebellion  received  no  serious  check  at  his  hands. 

On  the  13th  of  November,  1861,  General  John  A.  Dix, 
upon  entering  the  counties  of  Accomac  and  Northampton, 
Virginia,  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  to  the  people  the 
nature  of  his  advent.  He  assured  the  people  that  he  came 
as  their  friend,  and  consequently  would  "  invade  no  right 
of  person  or  property."  The  laws  and  institutions  of  the 
people  were  to  be  respected,  and  special  orders  were  is- 
sued to  the  troops  "not  to  interfere  with  the  condition 
of  any  person  held  to  domestic  servitude."  All  fugitive 
slaves  were  to  be  excluded  from  the  Union  lines.2  Gen- 
eral Halleck's  famous  "  Order  No.  3,"  November  20, 1861,3 

1  Greeley's  "American  Conflict,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  340. 

a  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  Hi.,  Doc.,  p.  376. 

3  "  Official  Record  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  viii.x  p.  370. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  75 

excluded  fugitive  slaves  from  his  lines  in  Missouri ;  and  on 
the  23d  of  February,  1862,  he  issued  "  Order  No.  13,"  di- 
recting among  other  things  that  "  fugitive  slaves  "  should 
not "  be  admitted  "  within  his  "  lines  or  camps,  except  when 
specially  ordered  by  the  General  commanding."  A  few 
days  before  this  (18th  of  February),  an  order  was  issued 
by  General  A.  E.  Burnside,  declaring  (in  a  proclamation) 
that  the  Government  simply  required  recognition  of  "  its 
authority,"  and  that  all  laws,  usages,  and  local  institutions 
would  be  respected.  This  action  was  not  the  exception, 
but  the  rule,  among  Department  commanders. 

General  Grant  early  set  an  example  which  ought  to 
have  been  emulated  by  other  commanders.  His  action 
was  not  only  in  accord  with  the  highest  military  wisdom 
and  law,  but  was  consonant  with  the  dictates  of  humanity. 
The  order  given  below  was  the  first  of  its  kind  issued 
during  the  war,  and,  therefore,  entitles  General  Grant  to 
high  consideration  in  connection  with  this  phase  of  the 
war. 

"Headquarters  District  of  West  Tennessee, 

"  Fort  Donelson,  February  26, 1862. 
"  General  Orders  No.  14. 

' '  I.  General  Order  No.  3,  series  1861,  from  headquarters  Department 
of  Missouri,  is  still  in  force  and  must  be  observed.  The  necessity  of 
its  strict  enforcement  is  made  apparent  by  the  numerous  applications 
from  citizens  for  permission  to  pass  through  the  camps  to  look  for 
fugitive  slaves.  In  no  case  whatever  will  permission  be  granted  to 
citizens  for  this  purpose. 

"II.  All  slaves  at  Fort  Donelson  at  the  time  of  its  capture,  and  all 
slaves  within  the  line  of  military  occupation  that  have  been  used  by 
the  enemy  in  building  fortifications,  or  in  any  manner  hostile  to  the 
Government,  will  be  employed  by  the  quartermaster's  department  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Government,  and  will  under  no  circumstances  be 
permitted  to  return  to  their  masters. 

' '  III.  It  is  made  the  duty  of  all  officers  of  this  command  to  see  that 
all  slaves  above  indicated  are  promptly  delivered  to  the  chief  quarter- 
master of  the  district. 

"By  order  of  Brigadier-general  U.  S.  Grant. 

"  JKO.  A.  RAWLINS,  A.  A.  G." 


76  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

General  D.  C.  Buell,  commanding  the  Department  of 
the  Ohio,  with  headquarters  at  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
wrote,  on  the  6th  of  March,  1862,  to  Mr.  J.  R.  Under- 
wood, of  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  that  fugitive  slaves  did 
"  sometimes  make  their  way  improperly  into  "  his  lines. 
He  said  that  "  in  every  instance  .  .  .  the  master  has  recov- 
ered his  servant  and  taken  him  away."  He  characterized 
the  men  who  harbored  fugitive  slaves  in  his  camps  as 
"  lawless  and  mischievous,"  and  declared  that  it  was  not 
the  policy  of  his  troops  to  invade  the  rights  of  slave- 
holders. 

On  the  26th  of  March,  1862,  General  Joseph  Hooker, 
while  in  command  of  the  "  Upper  Potomac,"  issued  the 
following  order : 

"  To  Brigade  and  Regimental  Commanders  of  this  Division  : 

"  Messrs.  Nally,  Gray,  Dunnington,  Dent,  Adams,  Speake,  Price,  Po- 
sey,  and  Goby,  citizens  of  Maryland,  have  Negroes  supposed  to  be  with 
some  of  the  regiments  of  this  division.  The  Brigadier-general  com- 
manding directs  that  they  be  permitted  to  visit  all  the  camps  of  his 
command  in  search  of  their  property;  and  if  found,  that  they  be  allowed 
to  take  possession  of  the  same,  without  any  interference  whatever." 

On  the  23d  of  June,  1862,  one  Benjamin  Bronson,  a  rebel 
of  New  Orleans,  was  walking  in  the  street,  when  he  saw, 
in  the  uniform  of  a  United  States  soldier,  "something 
which  appeared  to  be  dressed  like  a  man,"  but  which  was 
simply  a  chattel  in  men's  clothes,  whereupon  he  wrote  the 
following  letter : 

"New  Orleans,  June  23, 1862. 

"  Colonel  F.  S.  Nickerson,  Fourteenth  Maine  Regiment,  U.  S.  A.,  La- 
fayette Square : 

"DEAR  SIR, — My  slave  Calvin,  a  light  mulatto,  absconded  last  Fri- 
day, 16th  inst.  On  Saturday,  as  I  was  passing  by  Lafayette  Square,  I 
found  the  said  slave,  with  a  United  States  uniform  on,  standing  guard 
just  above  the  Brooks  House  on  Camp  Street,  enlisted  as  a  United 
States  soldier,  assuming  to  be  a  white  man;  and  I  have  the  documents 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  77 

to  prove  him  a  slave.    I  lay  these  facts  before  you,  trusting  you  will 
give  me  every  assistance  to  recover  my  lawful  property. 

"  Very  respectfully, 
(Signed)  "B.  BRONSON, 

"Per  E.  W.  HERKICK, 
"Carriage  Repository,  74  Carondelet  Street. 

"The  above  slave  being  a  very  light  color,  it  would  be  difficult  mat- 
ter for  a  stranger  to  recognize  him  as  a  colored  man. 

(Signed)  "B.  BRONSON, 

"Per  E.  W.  HERRICK." 

Having  examined  the  case,  General  Butler  issued  the 
subjoined  order : 

"  Headquarters  Department  of  the  Gulf, 

"  New  Orleans,  July  7, 1862. 
"  Colonel  Nicker  son,  Fourteenth  Maine  Regiment  : 

"  SIR, — It  having  been  represented  to  the  General  Commanding  that 
you  have  enlisted  a  slave  (nearly  white)  by  the  name  of  Calvin,  the 
property  of  B.  Bronson,  Esq.,  who  will  be  recognized  and  pointed  out 
by  Mr.  E.  W.  Herrick,  you  will  forthwith  discharge  him.  This  by 
order  of  the  General  Commanding.  By  order  of 

(Signed)  "MAJOR-GENERAL  B.  F.  BUTLER. 

"G.  WEITZEL, 
"Lieut.  U.  S.  Eng.  and  Asst.  Military  Commander." 

The  rebel  slave-holders,  armed  with  General  Hooker's 
order,  went  under  the  American  flag,  and  dragged  their 
human  chattels  from  before  the  guns  of  the  Union  army ! 
But  the  truckling  subserviency  of  the  army  to  slave-hold- 
ers had  not  yet  come  to  an  end.  Major-general  George 
B.  McClellan  issued  a  proclamation  from  "  Headquarters 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  July  7, 1862,"  in  which  he  declared 
that  the  "  Rebellion  has  assumed  the  character  of  a  war." 
He  concluded  by  announcing:  "Neither  confiscation  of 
property,  political  executions  of  persons,  territorial  organi- 
zation of  States,  nor  forcible  abolition  of  slavery,  should 
be  contemplated  for  a  moment." 

General  McClellan  was  in  command  of  the  Union  army 
at  this  time,  and  this  declaration  respecting  slavery  did 


78  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

great  harm  to  the  humane  and  patriotic  sentiment  of 
the  troops.  But  the  most  remarkable  fact  about  General 
McClellan's  utterances  on  the  slavery  question  is,  that  on 
the  4th  of  December,  1861,  William  H.  Seward,  Secretary 
of  State,  called  his  attention,  by  direction  of  the  Presi- 
dent, to  the  fact  of  the  arrest  of  fugitive  slaves  in  the  city 
of  Washington,  part  of  his  military  district.  "  Persons," 
wrote  the  Secretary, "  claimed  to  be  held  to  service  or  la- 
bor under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  actually 
employed  in  hostile  service  against  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  frequently  escape  from  the  lines  of  the 
enemy's  forces,  and  are  received  within  the  lines  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  This  Department  understands 
that  such  persons,  afterwards  coming  into  the  city  of 
Washington,  are  liable  to  be  arrested  by  the  city  police, 
upon  presumption,  arising  from  color,  that  they  are  fugi- 
tives from  service  or  labor." 

Mr.  Seward  then  goes  on  to  cite  the  "  Act  to  Confiscate 
Property  used  for  Insurrectionary  Purposes,"  approved 
August  6, 1861.  Continuing,  he  said :  "Persons  thus  em- 
ployed and  escaping  are  received  into  the  military  pro- 
tection of  the  United  States,  and  their  arrest  as  fugitives 
from  service  or  labor  should  be  immediately  followed  by 
the  military  arrest  of  the  parties  making  the  seizure." 

Notwithstanding  this  order,  General  McClellan,  nearly 
a  year  later,  was  still  opposed  to  freeing  fugitive  slaves. 
All  that  General  Fremont  had  done  was  consonant  with 
the  Act  of  August  6,  1861,  alluded  to  before.  He  had 
confiscated  the  property  of  persons  who  were  engaged  in 
insurrection,  and  the  slaves  of  such  persons  "  were  declared 
free  men." 

Major-general  David  Hunter  assumed  command  of  the 
"Department  of  the  South"  on  the  31st  of  March,  1862. 
His  military  district  comprised  the  States  of  Georgia, 


IN   THE  WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  79 

Florida,  and  South  Carolina.  On  the  25th  of  April  he 
declared  those  States  under  martial  law ;  and  on  the  9th 
of  May,  in  "  General  Order  No.  11,"  declared  that  "  Slav- 
ery and  martial  law  in  a  free  country  are  altogether  in- 
compatible." He  therefore  proclaimed  that  the  slaves  of 
those  States  were  "  forever  free." ' 

But  on  the  19th  of  May,  1862,  the  President  abrogated 
the  order  of  General  Hunter  in  a  long  proclamation.  In 
sixty  days  from  this  time  public  sentiment  had  under- 
gone a  change  for  the  better.  The  Army  had  caught 
many  slaves  who  had  sought  its  protection ;  had  fought 
a  few  battles,  and  sustained  defeat.  On  the  19th  of 
August,  1862,  Horace  Greeley,  editor  of  the  New  York 
Tribune,  published  an  editorial  entitled  "  The  Prayer  of 
Twenty  Millions."  It  was  addressed  to  the  President ; 
but  while  it  did  not  seem  to  move  that  dignitary,  it 
thrilled  the  popular  heart,  and  went  through  the  army 
like  a  battle  order.  The  first  sentence,  like  a  Damascus 
blade,  struck  at  the  dangerous  and  suicidal  policy  of  using 
the  army  to  catch  slaves.  Mr.  Greeley  wrote :  "  On  the 
face  of  this  wide  earth,  Mr.  President,  there  is  not  one  dis- 
interested, determined,  intelligent  champion  of  the  Union 
cause  who  does  not  feel  that  all  attempts  to  put  down  the 
Rebellion,  and  at  the  same  time  uphold  its  inciting  cause, 
are  preposterous  and  futile ;  that  the  Rebellion,  if  crushed 
out  to-morrow,  would  be  renewed  within  a  year  if  slavery 
were  left  in  full  vigor ;  that  army  officers  who  remain  to 
this  day  devoted  to  slavery  can  at  best  be  but  half-way 
loyal  to  the  Union ;  and  that  every  hour,  of  deference  to 
slavery  is  an  hour  of  added  and  deepened  peril  to  the 
Union." 

Even  the  "  Confiscation  Act "  had  remained  a  dead  let- 

1  Greeley's  "American  Conflict,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  246. 


80  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ter  to  most  general  officers  in  the  army  ;  and  Mr.  Greelej 
urged  its  enforcement.  ""What  an  immense  majority," 
continued  Mr.  Greeley,  "of  the  loyal  millions  of  your 
countrymen  require  of  you  is  a  frank,  declared,  unquali- 
fied, ungrudging  execution  of  the  laws  of  the  land,  more 
especially  the  Confiscation  Act.  That  Act  gives  freedom 
to  the  slaves  of  rebels  coming  within  our  lines,  or  whom 
those  lines  may  at  any  time  enclose;  we  ask  you  to  ren- 
der it  due  obedience  by  publicly  requiring  all  your  sub- 
ordinates to  recognize  and  obey  it." 

This  "  prayer  of  twenty  millions  "  was  worth  millions 
of  dollars  to  the  Government,  and  fired  the  heart  of  many 
good  and  honest  men  who  had  been  halting  between  two 
opinions.  It  set  in  motion  a  strong  current  of  public  sen- 
timent friendly  to  the  slave,  and  in  favor  of  a  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  war.  This  current  of  sentiment  gath- 
ered strength  every  day,  and  the  President  and  his  Cabi- 
net were  borne  along  in  the  right  course.  Many  officers 
who  had  entertained  strong  opinions  in  favor  of  non-in- 
terference with  slavery  began  to  see  that,  from  behind  this 
dark  institution,  the  rebels  were  aiming  at  the  life  of 
the  republic.  Changes  of  opinion  were  numerous  and 
sudden. 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  81 


CHAPTER  Y. 

THE    NEGRO    VOLUNTEER. MILITARY    EMPLOYMENT  OF 

NEGROES. 

THE  South  took  the  initiative  in  employing  Negroes 
as  soldiers;  but  they  were  free  Negroes,  and  many  of 
them  owned  large  interests  in  Louisiana  and  South  Caro- 
lina. During  the  latter  part  of  April,  1861,  a  Negro 
company  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  offered  its  services  to 
the  Confederate  Government.1  A  recruiting  -  office  was 
opened  for  free  Negroes  at  Memphis,  and  the  following 
notice  was  issued : 

"ATTENTION,  VOLUNTEERS  ! 

"Resolved  by  the  Committee  of  Safety,  That  C.  Deloach,  D.  R.  Cook, 
and  William  B.  Greenlaw,  be  authorized  to  organize  a  volunteer  com- 
pany, composed  of  our  patriotic  free  men  of  color,  of  the  city  of 
Memphis,  for  the  service  of  our  common  defence.  All  who  have  not 
enrolled  their  names  will  call  at  the  office  of  W.  B.  Greenlaw  &  Co. 

"  F.  W.  FORSYTHE,  Secretary.  F.  TITUS,  President." 

Louisiana  had  the  largest  population  of  free  Negroes 
in  the  South ;  many  of  them  were  men  of  large  means, 
and  some  of  them  actually  owned  slaves. 

The  first  law  enacted  by  any  State,  whether  in  or  out 
of  the  Union,  and  before  the  United  States  Congress  or 
the  Confederate  Congress  had  entertained  any  proposition 
contemplating  the  military  employment  of  Negroes,  con- 

1  Charleston  Mercury,  April  30, 1861. 

8  Memphis  Avalanclw  and  Memphis  Appeal,  May  9,  10,  and  11, 1861. 

6 


82  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ferring  upon  the  black  man  military  privileges  and  duties, 
was  the  following : 

"An  Act  for  the  Belief  of  Volunteers. 

-"SECTION  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of 
Tennessee,  That  from  and  after  the  passage  of  this  act,  the  Governor 
shall  be,  and  he  is  hereby  authorized,  at  his  discretion,  to  receive  into 
the  military  service  of  the  State  all  male  free  persons  of  color  between 
the  ages  of  fifteen  (15)  and  fifty  (50)  years — or  such  number  as  may 
be  necessary,  who  may  be  sound  in  his  mind  and  body,  and  capable  of 
actual  service. 

"  SEC.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  such  free  persons  of  color 
shall  be  required  to  do  all  such  menial  service  for  the  relief  of  the 
volunteers  as  is  incident  to  camp  life,  and  necessary  to  the  efficiency 
of  the  service,  and  of  which  they  are  capable  of  performing. 

"  SEC.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  such  free  persons  of  color  shall 
receive,  each,  eight  dollars  per  month  as  pay,  for  such  person  shall  be 
entitled  to  draw,  each,  one  ration  per  day,  and  shall  be  entitled  to  a 
yearly  allowance,  each,  of  clothing. 

"SEC.  4.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  in  order  to  carry  out  the  pro- 
visions of  this  act,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Sheriffs  of  the  several 
counties  in  this  State  to  collect  accurate  information  as  to  the  number 
and  condition,  with  the  names  of  free  persons  of  color  subject  to  the 
provisions  of  this  act,  being  and  situated  within  the  limits  of  their  re- 
spective counties,  and  shall,  as  soon  as  practicable,  report  the  same  in 
writing  to  the  Governor. 

"  SEC.  5.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  a  failure  or  refusal  of  the  Sher- 
iffs, or  any  one  or  more  of  them,  to  perform  the  duties  required  by  the 
fourth  section  of  this  act,  shall  be  deemed  an  offence,  and  on  convic- 
tion thereof  shall  be  punished  for  misdemeanor,  at  the  discretion  of 
the  Judge  of  the  Circuit  or  Criminal  courts  having  cognizance  of  the 
same. 

"  SEC.  6.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  officers 
in  command  to  see  that  the  class  of  persons  who  may  enter  the  service 
under  the  provisions  of  this  act  do  not  suffer  from  neglect  or  mal- 
treatment. 

' '  SEC.  7.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  in  the  event  of  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  free  persons  of  color  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  State  shall  not 
tender  their  services,  then  the  Governor  is  empowered,  through  the 
Sheriffs  of  the  different  counties,  tp  impress  such  persons  until  the  re- 
quired number  is  obtained ;  in  doing  so,  he  will  have  regard  to  the 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  83 

population  of  such  persons  in  the  several  counties,  and  shall  direct  the 
Sheriffs  to  determine  by  lot  those  that  are  required  to  serve. 

"  SEC.  8.  'Be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  expenses  incurred  in  this 
branch  of  the  service  shall  be  regarded  as  a  part  of  the  army  expenses, 
and  provided  for  accordingly. 

' '  SEC.  9.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  when  any  mess  of  volunteers 
shall  keep  a  servant  to  wait  on  the  members  of  the  mess,  each  servant 
shall  be  allowed  to  draw  one  ration. 

"SEC.  10.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  Adjutants  of  Regiments 
may  be  selected  from  the  private  soldiers  in  the  line  of  the  service,  as 
well  as  from  the  officers  in  the  service. 

"  SEC.  11.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  this  act  take  effect  from  and 
after  its  passage. 

"  W.  C.  WHITTHORNE, 
"  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

"  B.  L.  STOVALL, 
"  Speaker  of  the  Senate. 
"Passed  June  28, 1861." 1 

While  this  law  did  not  provide  for  the  incorporation 
of  Negroes  in  regiments,  the  first  section  brings  them  into 
the  military  service. 

On  the  23d  of  November,  1861,  there  was  a  grand  review 
of  the  Confederate  troops  stationed  at  New  Orleans.  An 
associated  press  despatch  announced  that  the  line  was  seven 
miles  long.  The  feature  of  the  review,  however,  was  "one 
regiment "  of  "  fourteen  hundred  free  colored  men."  An- 
other grand  review  followed  the  next  spring,  and  on  the 
appearance  of  rebel  Negroes  a  local  paper  made  the  fol- 
lowing comment :  "  We  must  also  pay  a  deserved  compli- 
ment to  the  companies  of  free  colored  men,  all  very  well 
drilled  and  comfortably  uniformed.  Most  of  these  com- 
panies, quite  unaided  by  the  administration,  have  supplied 
themselves  with  arms  without  regard  to  cost  or  trouble." " 
On  the  same  day  one  of  these  Negro  companies  was  pre- 


1  "  Public  Acts  of  Tennessee,"  1861,  pp.  49,  50. 

2  The  New  Orleans  Picayune,  February  9, 1862. 


84  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

sented  with  a  flag,  and  every  evidence  of  public  approba- 
tion was  manifested.  It  was  intended  to  use  troops  of  this 
character  for  garrison,  but  the  first  victories  of  the  Con- 
federate troops  quite  turned  the  head  of  the  rebel  gov- 
ernment. Negro  troops  were  soon  dispensed  with,  al- 
though a  few  were  retained  for  a  brief  period.  On  the 
4th  of  February,  1862,  the  Baltimore  Traveller  announced 
that  several  regiments  of  Negroes  were  forming  at  Rich- 
mond for  the  defence  of  the  Confederate  capital.  On 
the  24th  of  May,  1862,  The  Nashville  Union  printed  the 
following  editorial  note  from  The  Intelligencer  and  Con- 
federacy, published  in  Georgia :  "  We  must  '  fight  the 
devil  with  fire'  by  arming  our  negroes  to  fight  the  Yan- 
kees. There  is  no  doubt  that  in  Georgia  alone  we  could 
pick  up  ten  thousand  negroes  that  would  rejoice  in  meet- 
ing fifteen  thousand  Yankees  in  deadly  conflict.  We 
would  be  willing  almost  to  risk  the  fate  of  the  South 
upon  such  an  encounter  in  an  open  field." ' 

But  while  Negroes  were  not  used  by  the  Confederate 
States  to  any  great  extent,  the  following  Act  shows  that 
they  had  learned  the  value  of  the  Negro  in  time  of  war 
as  well  as  in  time  of  peace. 

"  Adjutant  and  Inspector  General's  Office, 
"Richmond,  Virginia,  March  11, 1864. 
"  General  Orders  No.  32. 

"I.  The  Act  of  Congress  relative  to  the  employment  of  Free  Ne- 
groes and  slaves  in  certain  capacities,  and  the  Instructions  of  the  War 
Department  relative  to  its  Execution,  are  published  for  the  informa- 
tion of  those  concerned. 

"  An  Act  to  increase  the  Efficiency  of  the  Army  by  the  Employment  of 

Free  Negroes  and  Slaves  in  certain  Capacities. 

"  Wliereas,  the  efficiency  of  the  army  is  greatly  diminished  by  the 
withdrawal  from  the  ranks  of  able-bodied  soldiers  to  act  as  teamsters, 

1  "  Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  v.,  p.  22. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  85 

and  in  various  other  capacities  in  which  free  Negroes  and  slaves  might 
be  advantageously  employed; 

"  Therefore,  the  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America  do 
enact,  that  all  male  free  Negroes,  and  other  free  persons  of  color,  not 
including  those  who  are  free  under  the  treaty  of  Paris,  1803,  or  under 
the  treaty  of  Spain  of  1819,  resident  in  the  Confederate  States,  between 
the  ages  of  eighteen  and  fifty  years,  shall  be  held  liable  to  perform 
such  duties  with  the  army,  or  in  connection  with  the  military  defenses 
of  the  country,  in  the  way  of  work  upon  fortifications,  or  in  govern- 
ment works  for  the  production  or  preparation  of  materials  of  war, 
or  in  military  hospitals,  as  the  Secretary  of  War  or  the  commanding 
General  of  the  Trans  -  Mississippi  Department  may,  from  time  to 
time,  prescribe ;  and  while  engaged  in  such  duties  shall  receive 
rations  and  clothing,  and  compensation  at  the  rate  of  eleven  dollars 
a  month,  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  the  said  Secretary  may 
establish : 

"  Provided,  that  the  Secretary  of  War  or  commanding  General  of  the 
Trans-Mississippi  Department,  with  the  approval  of  the  President,  may 
exempt  from  the  operations  of  this  act  such  free  Negroes  as  the  inter- 
est of  the  country  may  require  should  be  exempted,  or  such  as  he  may 
think  proper  to  exempt,  on  grounds  of  Justice,  equity,  or  necessity. .  .  . 
(Signed)  "THOMAS  S.  BABCOCK, 

"  Speaker  House  of  Representatives. 
"  R.  M.  T.  HUNTER, 

"  President  pro  tern,  of  the  Senate. 
"Approved  February  17, 1864. 

(Signed)        "JEFFERSON  DAVIS." 

The  order  of  the  Inspector-general  following  this  act 
directed  in  detail  the  carrying  out  of  its  provisions. 
A  regularly  established  Bureau  for  Conscriptions  was 
charged  with  seizing  such  number  of  slaves  as  was  re- 
quired by  the  exigencies  of  the  public  service,  making 
compensation  therefor.  If  such  slaves  were  killed  or 
died  in  the  public  service  their  owners  were  paid  the 
market  value  of  their  chattels. 

Fortunately  for  the  future  of  the  republic,  the  people 
were  far  in  advance  of  the  generals  in  the  field  and  the 
statesmen  at  Washington.  If  the  Administration  of 


86  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

President  Lincoln  had  a  policy  —  beyond  upholding  the 
rebels  by  preventing  their  slaves  from  entering  the  Union 
lines  —  it  was  the  result  of  evolution  ;  it  was  forced  upon 
it  by  the  potent  voice  of  public  sentiment.  There  were 
here  and  there  patriotic  and  humane  men  who  saw,  from 
the  opening  of  civil  war,  that  the  quickest  way  to  win 
victory  and  conquer  peace  was  to  employ  in  the  military 
service  all  loyal  men.  During  the  national  campaign 
in  the  summer  of  1860,  General  J.  Watts  De  Peyster, 
anticipating  a  war  between  the  Government  and  South- 
ern States,  wrote  a  letter  to  a  journal  of  Hudson,  New 
York,  advocating  the  arming  of.  Negroes.  In  a  speech 
made  at  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  in  the  early  days  of 
the  war,  Charles  Sumner  said,  "I  do  not  say  carry  the 
\  war  into  Africa  ;  but  carry  Africa  into  the  war."  His 
\  colleague  in  the  United  States  Senate,  Henry  Wilson, 
\  urged  similar  views  upon  the  country. 
"A  Governor  Yates,  of  Illinois,  had  written,  on  the  llth  of 
July,  1863,  an  eloquent  letter  urging  the  President  to  ac- 
cept all  loyal  men,  regardless  of  color,  to  aid  in  suppress- 
ing the  Rebellion.  Once  in  a  while  an  influential  and 
courageous  clergyman  would  urge  the  military  employ- 
ment of  Negroes.  Excellent  work  was  done  for  the  Ne- 
gro in  sections  of  the  country  friendly  to  his  emancipa- 
tion and  enlistment  in  the  Union  army.  Congress  was 
in  advance  of  the  President.  That  body  had  passed  laws 
sufficient  to  enable  the  President  to  employ  as  many  per- 
sons of  African  descent  as  he  saw  fit  in  any  capacity  for 
which  they  should  be  found  qualified. 


~ 


Act,  approved  August  6,  1861,  empoweredthePresi3enf 
roreceive  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  as  many 
persons  of  African  descent  as  he  might  deem  proper  for 
the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion.  And  the  Secretary  of 
War,  in  his  letter  of  instructions  to  General  Thomas  W. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF   THE   REBELLION.  87 

Sherman,  who  assumed  command  of  the  Union  forces  at 
Port  Royal,  South  Carolina,  in  October,  1861,  gave  per- 
mission "  to  employ  all  loyal  persons  offering  their  serv- 
ices for  the  defense  of  the  Union."  General  Sherman 
did  not  avail  himself  of  this  order  to  secure  fugitive 
slaves,  but  General  Hunter,  who  relieved  him  on  the 
31st  of  March,  1862,  did  employ  Negroes  in  the  capacity 
of  soldiers. 

The  indiscriminate  return  of  fugitive  slaves  to  their 
rebel  masters  aroused  a  public  sentiment  that  almost 
amounted  to  indignation.  On  the  10th  of  March,  1862, 
the  House  of  Eepresentatives  enacted  a  law  providing  a 
new  "Article  of  War,"  prohibiting  army  officers  to  re- 
turn fugitive  slaves.  It  passed  the  Senate  without 
amendment,  by  a  vote  of  29  to  9.  On  the  17th  of  July, 
1862,  an  act  passed  Congress  emancipating  the  slaves  of 
rebels,  and  public  feeling  towards  the  Negro  was  greatly 
mollified. 

Although  the  Confiscation  Act  of  August  6, 1861,  and 
the  order  of  the  War  Department  to  the  commanding 
general  at  Port  Royal,  warranted  and  justified  the  em- 
ployment of  fugitive  slaves  in  a  military  capacity,  no  di- 
rect legislation  had  been  secured  to  enroll  the  Negro  as  a 
soldier.  Only  the  fugitive  slaves  of  persons  in  actual  re- 
bellion against  the  United  States  had  been  contemplated 
thus  far.  No  attention  was  paid  to  the  free  Negro  popu- 
lation of  the  Northern  States,  that  could  have  supplied 
twenty-five  thousand  able-bodied,  patriotic  Negro  soldiers. 
In  nearly  every  Northern  city  meetings  were  held  by 
the  Negro  citizens ;  patriotic  speeches  were  made ;  reso- 
lutions pledging  themselves  to  support  the  Government, 
and  tendering  the  services  of  their  military  organiza- 
tions, were  passed.  But  their  offers  were  unnoticed  or 
contemptuously  declined.  In  fact,  many  peace -demo- 


88  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

crats  looked  upon  the  Negro  as  the  cause  of  the  war, 
and  quiet  Negro  populations  were  threatened  with  mob 
violence.  t 

The  first  direct  legislation  that  sought  the  Negroes' 
military  assistance  was  merely  an  enabling  act.  On  the 
16th  of  July,  1862,  Henry  Wilson,  of  Massachusetts,  in- 
troduced a  bill  in  the  United  States  Senate,  amending 
the  Act  of  1795,  prescribing  the  manner  of  calling  out 
the  militia  to  suppress  insurrections.  It  empowered  the 
President  to  accept  "  persons  of  African  descent,  for  the 
purpose  of  constructing  intrenchments  or  performing  camp 
service,  or  any  war  service  for  which  they  may  be  found 
competent."  This  was  a  half-hearted  measure.  General 
Wilson  found  that  his  bill  could  not  be  passed  without 
many  obnoxious  amendments,  so  he  accepted  it  in  an  emas- 
culated form.  It  was  hurried  over  to  the  House,  where 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  of  Pennsylvania,  took  charge  of  it.  He 
skilfully  parried  every  attempt  to  strike  it  down  with 
deadly  amendments,  and  under  call  of  "  the  previous  ques- 
tion "  passed  it.  On  the  day  following,  the  17th  of  July, 
1862,  the  President  signed  it,  and  thus  it  became  a  law. 
But  the  President  was  still  opposed  to  the  employment 
of  Negroes  as  soldiers.  No  one  could  put  the  new  law  in 
operation  but  the  President. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1862,  the  New  York  Herald 
published  an  editorial  on  an  "  Important  Decision  of  the 
President."  "The  efforts,"  said  the  Herald,  "of  those 
who  love  the  Negro  more  than  the  Union  to  induce  the 
President  to  swerve  from  his  established  policy  are  una- 
vailing. He  will  neither  be  persuaded  by  promises  nor 
intimidated  by  threats.  To-day  he  was  called  upon  by 
two  United  States  Senators,  and  rather  peremptorily  re- 
quested to  accept  the  services  of  two  Negro  regiments. 
They  were  flatly  and  unequivocally  rejected.  The  Presi- 


IN  THE   WAR  OP  THE   REBELLION.  89 

dent  did  not  appreciate  the  necessity  of  employing  the 
Negroes  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  country,  and  take  the 
positions  which  white  men  of  the  nation,  the  voters,  and 
sons  of  patriotic  sires,  should  be  proud  to  occupy ;  there 
were  employments  in  which  the  Negroes  of  rebel  masters 
might  well  be  engaged,  but  he  was  not  willing  to  place 
them  upon  an  equality  with  our  volunteers,  who  had  left 
home  and  family  and  lucrative  occupations  to  defend  the 
Union  and  the  Constitution,  while  there  were  volunteers 
or  militia  enough  in  the  loyal  States  to  maintain  the  Gov- 
ernment without  resort  to  this  expedient." 

The  President  was  not  only  explicit  in  his  views  in  op- 
position to  the  military  employment  of  Negroes,  but  the 
editorial  continues  to  inform  the  country  that  the  Presi- 
dent was  willing  to  resign,  and  one  of  the  Senators  told 
him  that  "  he  wished  to  God  he  would  resign !" 

A  strong  feeling  was  now  manifested  all  over  the  coun- 
try in  favor  of  a  vigorous  war  policy,  and  in  many  quar- 
ters the  arming  of  the  Negroes  was  regarded  with  favor. 
In  the  largely  populated  cities  of  the  North  the  clergy 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Union.  A  large 
and  enthusiastic  meeting  of  the  evangelical  denominations 
of  Chicago  sent  two  delegates  to  present  a  strong  and  pa- 
triotic address  to  the  President.  The  Rev.  William  W. 
Patton,  D.D.,  and  his  colleague,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Demp- 
ster, on  the  13th  of  September,  1862,  urged  upon  the 
President  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  and  the  arming 
of  the  Negroes.  "If  we  were  to  arm  them,"  said  the 
President,  "  I  fear  that  in  a  few  weeks  the  arms  would 
be  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels." ' 

No  people  grow  so  rapidly  in  the  right  direction  as 
Americans.  The  reverses  that  the  Union  arms  had  suf- 

1  Greeley's  "  American  Conflict,"  vol.  ii.,  pp.  251, 252. 


90  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

fered,  the  peril  that  threatened  the  republic,  had  a  salu- 
tary effect  upon  the  public  mind.  Army  officers  in  active 
service,  who  were  more  loyal  to  the  Union  than  to  the 
idea  of  the  inviolability  of  slave  property,  could  see  the 
necessity  and  utility  of  employing  Negroes  as  soldiers. 
In  the  extreme  South  the  mortality  among  the  Union 
troops  was  very  great.  The  high  temperature,  the  mala- 
ria, local  fevers,  and  ague  crowded  the  hospitals  with  hap- 
less victims.  The  Government  had  reluctantly  accepted 
the  services  of  the  fugitive  slaves  of  its  enemy  to  con- 
struct fortifications  and  to  furnish  the  muscle  for  the 
army.  Why  not  put  a  musket  in  the  same  potent  hands  ? 
asked  several  general  officers. 

In  May,1 1862,  General  David  Hunter,  in  command  of 
the  Department  of  the  South,  issued  orders  from  Port 
Royal,  South  Carolina,  for  the  recruitment  of  a  regiment 
of  Negroes.  A  detail  of  patriotic  and  competent  white 
officers  was  made  from  the  regiments  of  Union  soldiers  in 
the  Department,  to  take  charge  of  and  drill  the  black  lev- 
ies. The  Negroes  were  eager  to  enter  the  armed  service, 
and  they  responded  to  General  Hunter's  proclamation 
with  spirit  and  alacrity.  "Within  a  few  months  the  "First 
South  Carolina  Volunteer  Regiment "  was  full,  armed  and 
uniformed.  This  was  the  first  regiment  of  Negroes  or- 
ganized during  the  Civil  "War.  It  was  a  bold  move ;  and 
while  it  was  approved  by  many  officers  in  the  army  and 
patriots  in  Congress,  it  was  denounced  by  many  of  the 
enemies  of  the  Negro  in  official  station.  Some  officers 
talked  of  resigning  if  Negroes  were  to  be  called  upon  to 
fight  the  battles  of  a  free  republic.  The  privates  in  regi- 
ments from  large  cities  and  border  States  were  bitter  and 


1  Sergeant  C.  T.  Trowbridge  was  detailed  to  recruit  Negroes  May 
7, 1862,  in  S.  O.  84.— G.  W.  W. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  91 

demonstrative  in  their  opposition.  The  Negro  volunteers 
themselves  were  subjected  to  indignities  from  rebel  civil- 
ians within  the  Union  lines,  and  obtained  no  protection 
from  the  white  troops. 

A  large  portion  of  the  Press  of  the  North  condemned 
General  Hunter's  action,  and  general  apprehension  was 
felt  in  Congress.  On  the  9th  of  June,  1862,  Hon.  C.  A. 
Wickliffe,  a  member  of  the  House  from  Kentucky,  intro- 
duced a  resolution  calling  upon  the  Secretary  of  War  for 
information  respecting  General  Hunter's  Negro  regiment. 
Mr.  Wickliffe  desired  to  know,  first,  whether  General 
Hunter  had  raised  "  a  regiment  of  South  Carolina  volun- 
teers for  the  defense  of  the  Union  composed  of  black 
men  (fugitive  slaves),  and  appointed  the  Colonel  and  offi- 
cers to  command  them ;"  second,  Mr.  Wickliffe  was  anx- 
ious to  know  whether  the  War  Department  had  author- 
ized General  Hunter  "  to  organize  and  muster  into  the 
army  of  the  United  States,  as  soldiers,  the  fugitive  or  cap- 
tive slaves;"  third,  whether  he  had  "been  furnished  with 
clothing,  uniform, etc.,  for  such  force;"  fourth,  whether  he 
had  "been  furnished,  by  order  of  the  Department  of 
War,  with  arms  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  slaves ;" 
and,  in  the  fifth  instance,  Mr.  Wickliffe  desired  the  corre- 
spondence between  General  Hunter  and  the  War  De- 
partment. 

The  Secretary  of  War  promptly,  on  the  14th  of  June, 
replied  to  Mr.  Wickliffe's  resolution.  He  informed  Mr. 
Wickliffe  that  the  War  Department  was  not  aware  that 
any  regiment  of  Negroes  had  been  constituted  by  Gen- 
eral Hunter;  that  the  commanding  officer  of  the  "De- 
•partment  of  the  South"  had  not  been  instructed  to 
"  muster  into  the  army  of  the  United  States  the  fugitive 
or  captive  slave;"  that  General  Hunter  had  "been  fur- 
nished with  clothing  and  arms  for  the  force  under  his 


92  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

command,  without  instructions  as  to  how  they  should  be 
used ;"  and  that  General  Hunter  had  "  not  been  fur- 
nished by  order  of  the  Department  of  War  with  arms  to 
be  placed  within  the  hands  of  '  those  slaves.' "  The  cor- 
respondence between  General  Hunter  and  the  Depart- 
ment of  War  was  denied  Mr.  Wickliffe,  because  the  Pres- 
ident believed  it  would  "  be  incompatible  with  the  public 
welfare." 

The  Hon.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  had 
forwarded  Mr.  Wickliffe's  resolution  to  General  Hunter, 
and  requested  a  categorical  reply  to  the  questions  of  the 
resolve.  On  the  23d  of  June  General  Hunter  received 
the  Secretary's  letter  with  its  enclosure.  It  was  late  Sat- 
urday when  the  communication  reached  the  General's 
headquarters,  but  he  hastened  forward  his  reply  so  that  it 
went  by  Monday's  steamer  for  New  York.  This  letter 
has  no  parallel  in  the  military  correspondence  of  the  war. 
It  was  terse,  piquant,  and  brilliant.  In  the  first  place, 
General  Hunter  informed  the  Secretary  of  War  that  no 
regiment  of  "fugitive  slaves"  had  been  organized  in  his 
Department.  He  said  that  there  was,  "  however,  a  fine 
regiment  of  persons  whose  late  masters  are  '  fugitive  reb- 
els' — men  who  everywhere  fly  before  the  appearance  of 
the  national  flag,  leaving  their  servants  behind  them  to 
shift  as  best  they  can  for  themselves.  So  far,  indeed, 
are  the  loyal  persons  composing  this  regiment  from  seek- 
ing to  avoid  the  presence  of  their  late  owners,  that  they 
are  now,  one  and  all,  working  with  remarkable  industry 
to  place  themselves  in  a  position  to  go  in  full  and  effec- 
tive pursuit  of  their  fugacious  and  traitorous  proprietors." 
General  Hunter  then  explained  that  the  instructions  is- 
sued by  the  Hon.  Simon  Cameron,  late  Secretary  of  War, 
to  Brigadier  -  general  Thomas  W.  Sherman,  were  turned 
over  to  him  for  his  instruction  and  guidance ;  that  the 


IN  THE  WAR  OF   THE   REBELLION.  93 

instructions  authorized  him  "  to  employ  all  loyal  persons 
offering  their  services  in  defense  of  the  Union  and 
the  suppression  of  this  Rebellion."  There  was  "no  re- 
striction as  to  the  character  or  color  of  the  persons  to  be 
employed,"  continued  General  Hunter, "  or  the  nature  of 
the  employment,  whether  civil  or  military,  in  which  their 
services  should  be  used."  He  thought  the  instructions 
warranted  his  enlistment  of  Negroes  as  well  as  whites,  so 
that  they  were  loyal ;  and  that  he  was  equally  empow- 
ered "to  enlist  'fugitive  slaves'  as  soldiers,  could  any 
such  be  found  "  in  the  Department  of  the  South.  "  No 
such  characters,  however,"  he  continued,  "have  yet  ap- 
peared within  view  of  our  most  advanced  pickets,  the 
loyal  slaves  everywhere  remaining  on  their  plantations  to 
welcome  us,  aid  us,  and  supply  us  with  food,  labor,  and 
information.  It  is  the  masters  who  have  in  every  in- 
stance been  the  'fugitives,'  running  away  from  loyal 
slaves  as  well  as  loyal  soldiers,  and  whom  we  have  only 
partially  been  able  to  see — chiefly  their  heads  over  ram- 
parts, or,  rifle  in  hand,  dodging  behind  trees — in  the  ex- 
treme distance.  In  the  absence  of  any  'fugitive-master 
law,'  the  deserted  slaves  would  be  wholly  without  rem- 
edy, had  not  the  crime  of  treason  given  them  the  right  to 
pursue,  capture,  and  bring  back  those  persons  of  whose 
protection  they  have  been  thus  suddenly  bereft."  The 
closing  paragraph  of  General  Hunter's  admirable  let- 
ter was  the  most  concise  statement  on  the  question  of 
making  the  Negro  a  soldier  uttered  during  the  war.  It  is 
splendid : 

"  I  must  say,  in  vindication  of  my  own  conduct,  that 
had  it  not  been  for  the  many  other  diversified  and  imper- 
ative claims  on  my  time  and  attention,  a  much  more  sat- 
isfactory result  might  have  been  hoped  for ;  and  that  in 
place  of  only  one,  as  at  present,  at  least  five  or  six  well- 


94  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

drilled,  brave,  and  thoroughly  acclimated  regiments  should 
by  this  time  have  been  added  to  the  loyal  forces  of  the 
Union.  The  experiment  of  arming  the  blacks,  so  far  as  I 
have  made  it,  has  been  a  complete  and  even  marvellous 
success.  They  are  sober,  docile,  attentive,  and  enthusi- 
astic ;  displaying  great  natural  capacities  for  acquiring 
the  duties  of  the  soldier.  They  are  eager,  beyond  all 
things,  to  take  the  field  and  be  led  into  action ;  and  it 
is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  officers  who  have  had 
charge  of  them,  that,  in  the  peculiarities  of  this  climate 
and  country,  they  will  prove  invaluable  auxiliaries — fully 
equal  to  the  similar  regiments  so  long  and  successfully 
used  by  the  British  authorities  in  the  West  India  islands." ' 
General  Hunter's  communication  was  sent  to  the  Hon. 
G.  A.  Grow,  Speaker  of  the  House,  and  by  that  officer 
ordered  to  be  read.  It  created  the  wildest  merriment 
and  entire  satisfaction  among  the  members  who  earnestly 
desired  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion ;  but  it  was  a 
severe  blow  to  those  members  who  thought  to-  catch 
General  Hunter  violating  the  law.  Mr.  Wickliffe  was 
morally  prostrated  by  the  reply  of  the  General ;  but  his 
colleague,  Mr.  Dunlap,  introduced  a  resolution,  the  day 
following,  declaring  that  General  Hunter's  letter  was 
"  clothed  in  discourteous  language ;"  that  he  had  insult- 
ed the  Congress  and  people  of  America  and  the  "  brave 
soldiers  in  arms,"  and  thought  the  General  deserved  to 
be  censured.  But  the  resolution  was  never  acted  upon. 
General  Hunter  deserves  well  of  history.  He  inaugu- 
rated a  bold  policy,  and  conducted  it  with  consummate 
skill.  He  won  the  confidence  of  the  slaves  in  his  Depart- 
ment, and  excited  the  fear  of  the  enemies  of  his  country. 
His  work  was  conducted  with  a  masterly  hand.  Every 

1  Executive  Document,  87th  Congress,  2d  Session,  No.  143. 


IN   THE   WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  95 

slave  who  enlisted  was  given  his  freedom  papers.  This 
policy  put  new  life  and  zeal  into  the  hearts  of  his  Negro 
soldiers,  and  made  them  feel  that  they  were  fighting  for 
something.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  "  free  paper." 

"  Headquarters  Department  of  the  South, 
"  Port  Royal,  South  Carolina,  August  1, 1862. 

"The  bearer,  Prince  Rivers,  a  sergeant  in  First  Regiment  South 
Carolina  Volunteers,  lately  claimed  as  a  slave,  having  been  employed 
in  hostility  to  the  United  States,  is  hereby,  agreeably  to  the  law  of  the 
6th  August,  1861,  declared  free  forever.  His  wife  and  children  are 
also  free.  D.  HUNTEB, 

"Major-general  Commanding." 

The  entire  work  that  General  Hunter  had  done  in  his 
Department  was  in  accord  with  law,  common  -  sense,  and 
patriotism.  Moreover,  there  could  have  been  no  more 
effective  measure  adopted  than  to  deplete  the  vast  Negro 
population  of  his  Department  that  were  bread-winners  for 
a  hostile  army.  He  not  only  offered  the  Negro  the  Amer- 
ican uniform  and  the  protection  of  the  Union  flag,  but 
each  soldier  was  to  have  the  pay  and  rations  of  a  United 
States  soldier,  and  his  wife  and  children  were  to  be  free. 

But  this  policy  was  not  in  accord  with  the  ideas  of  Mr. 
Lincoln,  and  General  Hunter  was  not  supported  by  the 
Administration  in  his  noble  effort  to  place  arms  in  the 
hands  of  the  blacks.1  He  asked  to  be  relieved  rather  than 
remain  inactive.  A  correspondent  of  the  New  York 
Times,  in  a  letter  to  that  journal  dated  September  4, 
1862,  said,  "  There  is  little  doubt  that  the  next  mail  from 
the  North  will  bring  an  order  from  the  War  Department 

1  From  the  7th  of  May  until  the  first  week  in  August  this  "  Hunter's 
Regiment,"  as  it  was  called,  was  kept  at  drill.  It  was  disbanded,  how- 
ever, all  but  one  company.  This  company  was  sent  to  garrison  St. 
Simon's  Island,  August  5,  1862,  under  Sergeant  Trowbridge,  as  acting 
captain.  This  company  was  the  first,  and  was  in  continuous  service 
longer  than  any  other  company  of  Negro  soldiers.— G.  W.  W. 


96  "A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

recalling  Major-general  Hunter  to  a  field  of  greater  activi- 
ty. The  Government  had  not  lent  him  a  hearty  support 
in  carrying  out  his  policy  of  arming  the  blacks,  by  which 
alone  he  could  make  himself  useful  in  this  Department  to 
the  national  cause ;  and,  therefore,  more  than  two  months 
since  he  applied  to  be  relieved,  rather  than  to  sit  supinely 
with  folded  hands  when  his  military  abilities  might  be 
found  of  service  elsewhere."  The  regiment  was  reorgan- 
ized and  the  first  company  mustered  November  7, 1862. 

While  to  General  Hunter  belongs  the  honor  of  placing 
muskets  in  the  hands  of  Negroes,  there  were,  nevertheless, 
other  officers  who  shared  his  views  with  earnestness  and 
zeal.  General  J.  W.  Phelps,  of  Yermont,  a  graduate  of 
West  Point  and  a  practical  man,  was  in  command  of  the 
Union  forces  occupying  Carrollton,  Louisiana.  General  B. 
F.  Butler  was  in  command  of  the  forces  in  the  State,  and 
had  issued  orders  forbidding  too  many  fugitives  to  crowd 
his  camps,  as  they  consumed  rations  that  he  needed  for 
his  effective  force.  General  Phelps  saw  that  he  could 
utilize  the  Negroes  who  flocked  to  his  lines  seeking  free- 
dom and  labor.  On  the  16th  of  June,  1862,  General 
Phelps  communicated  the  following  views  to  General  But- 
ler, who  had  established  his  headquarters  at  New  Orleans : 
"  The  enfranchisement  of  the  people  of  Europe  has  been, 
and  is  still  going  on,  through  the  instrumentality  of  mili- 
tary service ;  and  by  this  means  our  slaves  might  be 
raised  in  the  scale  of  civilization  and  prepared  for  free- 
dom. Fifty  regiments  might  be  raised  among  them  at 
once,  which  could  be  employed  in  this  climate  to  pre- 
serve order,  and  thus  prevent  the  necessity  of  retrenching 
our  liberties,  as  we  should  do  by  a  large  army  exclusively 
of  whites ;  for  it  is  evident  that  a  considerable  army  of 
whites  would  give  stringency  to  our  Government ;  while 
an  army  partly  of  blacks  would  naturally  operate  in  favor 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  97 

of  freedom  and  against  those  influences  which  at  present 
must  endanger  our  liberties."  ' 

General  Butler  made  no  reply,  and  after  waiting  a 
while  General  Phelps  wrote  his  chief,  July  30,.  1862,  an- 
other letter  upon  the  subject  of  arming  Negroes  to  help 
subdue  the  Rebellion  :  "  I  think  that,  with  the  proper 
facilities,  I  could  raise  the  three  regiments  proposed  in  a 
short  time.  Without  holding  out  any  inducements,  or 
offering  any  reward,  I  have  now  upward  of  300  Africans 
organized  into  five  companies,  who  are  willing  and  ready 
to  show  their  devotion  to  our  cause  in  any  way  that  it 
may  be  put  to  the  test.  They  are  willing  to  submit  to 
anything  rather  than  to  slavery.  ...  If  we  reject  his  serv- 
ices, any  petty  military  chieftain,  by  offering  him  free- 
dom, can  have  them  for  the  purpose  of  robbery  and  plun- 
der. It  is  for  the  interests  of  the  South,  as  well  as  for 
the  North,  that  the  African  should  be  permitted  to  offer 
his  block  for  the  temple  of  freedom.  Sentiments  un- 
worthy of  the  man  of  the  present  day — worthy  only  of 
another  Cain — could  prevent  such  an  offer  from  being 
accepted." 4 

General  Phelps  suggested  that  the  cadet&  from  West 
Point  graduating  that  month  (June)  should  be  sent  into 
South  Carolina  and  Louisiana  to  drill  Negro  recruits,  and 
that  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  already  in  the 
service  should  be  appointed  as  line  qfficers  in  such  organ- 
izations. He  concluded  by  giving  it  as  his  opinion  that, 
if  the  policy  of  arming  Negroes  was  adopted, "  an  early 
restoration  of  peace  and  unity  "  3  would  be  secured. 

At  length  General  Butler  replied  to  General  Phelps ; 


1  "Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xv.,  p.  489. 

2  Ibid.,  vol.  xv.,  p.  535. 

3  Greeley's  "American  Conflict,"  vol.  ii. ,  pp.  517,  518. 

7 


98  A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO    TROOPS 

and  while  he  was  willing  to  acknowledge  the  Negro  as 
contraband  of  war,  he  was  unwilling  to  accept  his  services 
as  a  soldier.  Therefore,  he  instructed  General  Phelps  to 
use  the  Negro  as  a  laborer,  but  not  as  a  soldier. 

Thwarted  and  discouraged,  General  Phelps  felt  it  his 
duty  to  resign ;  ^nd  on  the  31st  of  July,  1862,  wrote 
General  Butler :  r  I  am  not  willing  to  become  the  mere 
slave-driver  you  propose,  having  no  qualifications  that 
way." '  He  tendered  his  resignation  and  went  back  to 
Vermont,  that  had  given  him  convictions  of  duty  and 
right  as  firm  as  the  mountains  of  his  native  State. 

But  the  Northern  people  in  sympathy  with  freedom  wel- 
comed the  clarion  notes  of  Generals  Hunter  and  Phelps. 
Time  was  needed  to  turn  the  strong  tide  of  public  opinion 
that  had  set  against  the  military  employment  of  the  Ne- 
gro. It  was  slowly  but  surely  turning ;  and  there  was  an 
occasional  plea  made  for  the  policy  which  General  Hunter 
had  inaugurated  and  General  Phelps  had  urged. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1862,  Governor  Sprague,  of 
Rhode  Island,  officially  appealed  to  the  Negro  citizens  of 
the  State  to  enlist  as  soldiers.  This  was  the  first  call  for 
Negro  troops  at  the  North."  General  Butler  saw,  from 
his  headquarters  in  New  Orleans,  that  there  was  evident 
feeling  at  the  North  on  account  of  his  rejection  of  Gen- 
eral Phelps's  plan  to  organize  Negro  troops.  He  saw  that 
it  was  but  a  question  that  would,  sooner  or  later,  be  set- 
tled by  receiving  Negroes  into  the  service.  Accordingly, 
in  less  than  three  weeks  after  General  Phelps  had  left 
the  Department,  General  Butler,  on  the  22d  of  August, 
1862,  issued  an  appeal3  to  the  free  Negroes  of  New  Or- 

1  "  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xv.,  p.  535. 
8  "  Rebellion  Record,"  voi.  v.,  D.,  p.  53. 

3  "Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xv.,pp.  556, 
557. 


' 


IN   THE   WAR   OF  THE   REBELLION.  99 

leans  to  volunteer  their  services  in  a  military  capacity  in 
defence  of  the  union  of  the  United  States.  Under  the 
treaty  of  1803,  between  France  and  the  United  States, 
the  rights  and  immunities  of  citizenship  had  been  guar- 
anteed to  "free  colored  Creoles."  There  was  a  large 
number  of  this  class  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans.  Many 
of  them  were  descendants  of  the  Negroes  who  fought 
under  General  Jackson  in  1815.  By  their  uniform  good 
behavior  the  free  Negro  population  of  New  Orleans  had 
won  public  favor.  In  April,  1861,  they  had  formed  a 
part  of  the  State  militia ;  and  when  General  Butler  occu- 
pied the  city  these  organizations  still  had  a  nominal  ex- 
istence. The  free  Negroes  read  General  Butler's  appeal 
with  pleasure,  and  by  the  27th  of  September,  1862,  a 
full  regiment  of  free  Negroes  was  mustered  into  the 
service  of  the  United  States  Government.  It  was  consti- 
tuted as  the  "  First  Regiment  Louisiana  Native  Guards," 
but  its  designation  was  changed  to  the  "  First  Regiment 
Infantry  Corps  d'Afrique,"  June  6,1863.  Another- regi- 
ment of  Negroes  was  accepted  on  the  12th  of  October, 
1862,  under  the  designation  of  the  "  Second  Regiment 
Louisiana  Native  Guards ;"  changed,  however,  to  the  "  Sec- 
ond Regiment  Infantry  Corps  d'Afrique,"  June  6,  1863. 
On  the  29th  of  November,  1862,  a  Negro  regiment  of 
heavy  artillery  was  mustered  into  the  service.  It  was 
designated  as  the  "  First  Regiment  Louisiana  Heavy  Artil- 
lery." On  the  19th  of  November,  1863,  it  was  changed  to 
the  "First  Regiment  Heavy  Artillery  Corps  d'Afrique." 
On  the  24th  of  November,  1862,  the  fourth  regiment  of 
Negroes  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  Govern- 
ment as  the  "  Third  Regiment  Louisiana  Native  Guards ;" 
but  on  the  6th  of  June,  1863,  with  the  other  regiments, 
it  was  designated  as  the  "Third  Regiment  Infantry  Corps 
d'Afrique." 


100  A   HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

From  the  date  of  General  Butler's  appeal  to  the  free 
Negroes  of  New  Orleans,  August  22d,  till  the  date  of  the 
muster  in  of  the  fourth  regiment,  November  24th,  was 
three  months.  During  this  brief  period  three  regiments 
of  infantry  and  one  of  heavy  artillery,  all  composed  of 
Negroes,  had  volunteered  and  been  organized  and  accept- 
ed by  the  United  States.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  men 
and  the  short  time  in  which  they  prepared  themselves  for 
service  was  unprecedented.  The  news  of  this  work  in 
the  city  of  New  Orleans  revived  the  hopes  of  those  who 
had  advocated  the  policy  of  arming  the  Negroes.  It  is 
a  remarkable  fact  that  on  the  very  day  that  General  But- 
ler's call  for  Negro  troops  appeared — the  25th  (it  was  dated 
the  22d)  of  August,  1862 — the  Secretary  of  "War  sent  Gen- 
eral E-ufus  Saxton,  who  had  relieved  General  Hunter  at 
Port  Royal,  South  Carolina,  the  following  order :  * 

"3.  In  view  of  the  small  force  under  your  command,  and  the  ina- 
bility of  the  Government  at  the  present  time  to  increase  it  in  order  to 
guard  the  plantations  and  settlements  occupied  by  the  United  States 
from  invasion,  and  protect  the  inhabitants  thereof  from  captivity  and 
murder  by  the  enemy,  you  are  also  authorized  to  arm,  uniform,  equip, 
and  receive  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  such  number  of  Vol- 
unteers of  African  descent  as  you  may  deem  expedient,  not  exceeding 
five  thousand;  and  may  detail  officers  to  instruct  them  in  military  drill, 
discipline,  and  duty,  and  to  command  them.  The  persons  so  received 
into  service,  and  their  officers,  to  be  entitled  to  and  receive  the  same 
pay  and  rations  as  are  allowed  by  law  to  Volunteers  in  the  service. 

"4.  You  will  reoccupy,  if  possible,  all  the  islands  and  plantations 
heretofore  occupied  by  the  Government,  and  secure  and  harvest  the 
crops,  and  cultivate  and  improve  plantations. 

"5.  The  population  of  African  descent  that  cultivate  the  lands  and 
perform  the  labor  of  the  rebels,  constitute  a  large  share  of  their  mili- 
tary strength,  and  enable  the  white  masters  to  fill  the  rebel  armies 
and  wage  a  cruel  and  murderous  war  against  the  people  of  the  North- 

1  Captain  Robert  Smalls,  of  the  steamer  Planter,  carried  the  order 
from  Washington  to  South  Carolina.— G.W.TV. 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  101 

ern  States.  By  reducing  the  laboring  strength  of  the  rebels  their  mil- 
itary power  will  be  reduced.  You  are  therefore  authorized  by  every 
means  in  your  power  to  withdraw  from  the  enemy  their  laboring 
force  and  population,  and  to  spare  no  effort  consistent  with  civilized 
warfare  to  weaken,  harass,  and  annoy  them,  and  to  establish  the  author- 
ity of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  within  your  Department."1 

Notwithstanding  the  official  and  stubborn  opposition  to 
the  military  employment  of  Negroes,  before  the  closing 
days  of  1862  the  army  of  the  United  States  Government 
bore  upon  its  rolls  four  regiments  of  Negroes.  Much 
hatred  of  the  Negro,  and  opposition  to  a  policy  seeking 
his  aid  as  a  soldier,  expired  with  the  old  year,  and  the 
opposing  armies  in  winter-quarters  gave  the  country  that 
repose  so  necessary  to  reflection. 

The  question  of  the  military  employment  of  Negroes 
came  before  the  country  early  in  January,  1863,  as  if  it 
were  unfinished  business  pressing  for  attention.  Kansas, 
the  child  of  many  prayers  and  tears,  the  youngest  in  the 
sisterhood  of  States,  consecrated  by  the  blood  of  freemen 
to  the  cause  of  freedom — she  had  not  yet  accomplished 
her  days  of  mourning  for  the  martyrdom  of  John  Brown 
— took  the  initiative  of  raising  troops  in  the  North.  "  The 
First  Regiment  Kansas  Colored  Volunteers  "  was  recruited 
from  July  to  October,  1862,  and  was  organized  on  the  4th 
of  January,  1863,  at  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  by  the  indefati- 
gable Colonel  James  M.Williams.  On  the  2d  of  May,  1863, 
its  organization  was  completed,  and  it  was  ready  to  take 
the  field.2  And  to  the  State  of  Kansas  belongs  the  honor 
of  organizing  the  first  regiment  of  Northern  Negro  troops 
during  the  Civil  War. 

1  "Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xiv.,  pp. 
377,  378. 

2  The  first  recruits  were  obtained  on  the  6th  of  August,  1862,  but  the 
organization  was  not  completed  until  January,  1863. — G.  W.  W. 


102  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

In  October,  1862,  Brigadier  -  general  Daniel  Ullmann, 
upon  being  released  from  Libbj  prison,  called  upon  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  and  urged  the  military  employment  of  Ne- 
groes. His  views  were  not  at  once  accepted,  but  doubtless 
made  an  indelible  impression  upon  the  President's  mind. 
As  soon  as  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  had  been  is- 
sued, on  January  1,  1863,  the  President  instructed  the 
Secretary  of  War  to  authorize  General  Ullmann  to  or- 
ganize regiments  of  Negro  troops.  Authority  was  issued 
to  him  by  Secretary  Stanton  on  the  13th  of  January. 
General  Ullmann  was  instructed  to  raise  four  regiments 
of  infantry  and  a  battalion  of  six  companies  of  mounted 
scouts.  He  was  to  officer  these  troops ;  and  from  the  en- 
tire army  he  was  to  make  the  selection  of  men  who  had 
distinguished  themselves  as  soldiers.  He  established  his 
headquarters  in  New  York  City,  and  at  his  suggestion 
several  of  the  loyal  governors  furnished  him  with  a  roll 
of  honor — "the  bravest  of  the  brave" — containing  the 
names  of  privates  and  officers  of  white  regiments  who  had 
already  proved  themselves  heroic  in  battle  and  deserving 
of  promotion.  He  secured  a  large  number  of  officers 
with  exceptional  records  who  were  willing  to  engage  in 
the  difficult  and  perilous  service  of  commanding  Negro 
soldiers  in  the  field.  It  was  a  brave  and  brilliant  com- 
pany of  gentlemen.  General  Ullmann  says  of  them : 

"  I  transferred  the  Cadre  of  my  command  to  the  desig- 
nated field  of  duty  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf.  I 
had  with  me  more  than  two  hundred  officers,  a  large  ma- 
jority from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  who  had  seen  near- 
ly two  years'  service  in  the  field,  and  many  of  whom  bore 
the  scars  of  honorable  wounds ;  some  were  officers  of  the 
Regular  Army ;  one  was  a  son  of  the  Yice- President ;  one 
an  European  prince  ;  several  nephews  of  Kossuth ;  others 
officers  who  had  served  with  distinction  in  the  armies 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  103 

of  Europe ;  and  all,  with  few  exceptions,  educated  gentle- 
men." 

General  Ullmann  established  his  headquarters  at  New 
Orleans,  and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  peculiar 
duties  with  intelligence,  zeal,  and  patriotism.  On  the  10th 
of  June,  1863,  in  General  Orders  No.  7,  he  pointed  out  to 
his  officers  the  nature  of  their  delicate  duties,  and  made  a 
touching  appeal  to  the  Negroes  to  rally  under  the  Union 
standards. 

Governor  Andrew  secured  permission  for  the  employ- 
ment of  Negro  troops  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts. The  following  order  was  issued  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  "War : 

"  War  Department,  Washington  City, 

"  January  26, 1863. 

"Ordered,  that  Governor  Andrew,  of  Massachusetts,  is  authorized, 
until  further  orders,  to  raise  such  number  of  volunteer  companies  of 
artillery  for  duty  in  the  forts  of  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere,  and  such 
corps  of  infantry  for  the  volunteer  military  service  as  he  may  find  con- 
venient. Such  volunteers  to  be  enlisted  for  three  years,  unless  sooner 
discharged,  and  may  include  persons  of  African  descent,  organized  into 
separate  corps.  He  will  make  the  usual  needful  requisitions  on  the  ap- 
propriate Staff  Bureaus,  and  officers  for  proper  transportation,  organ- 
ization, supplies,  subsistence,  arms,  and  equipments  of  such  volunteers. 
(Signed)  "  EDWIN  M.  ST ANTON, 

"  Secretary  of  War." 

The  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  was  now  the  thea- 
tre of  a  new  and,  some  thought,  difficult  experiment.  But 
Governor  Andrew,  and  the  people  who  had  clothed  his 
official  action  with  the  majesty  of  "  executive  authority," 
had  an  unfaltering  faith  in  the  Negro.  Massachusetts 
had  been  the  storm-line  of  the  anti-slavery  agitation  move- 
ment for  thirty  years,  and  the  people  were  well-informed 
upon  the  questions  that  had  excited  the  fratricidal  con- 
flict. If  any  State  could  solve  the  problem  of  raising 
black  levies,  Massachusetts  could.  Governor  Andrew  has- 


104  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

tened  Lome  from  Washington,  and  threw  all  the  energies 
of  his  great  personality  into  the  work  of  arming  Negro 
volunteers  in  Massachusetts.  The  following  is  the  first 
order  for  their  recruitment : 

"Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts, 
"  Headquarters  Boston,  February  9, 1863. 
"  Ex- Special  Order  No.  68. 

"Mr.  Philip  Backus,  of  Lenox,  is  hereby  authorized  to  enlist  a  com- 
pany of  colored  men  in  Massachusetts  for  service  of  the  United  States 
in  the  regiments  of  the  Massachusetts  volunteers. 

"A  premium  of  two  dollars  for  each  recruit  obtained  is  offered  by 
the  United  States.     This  may  be  expended  by  the  person  authorized 
from  these  headquarters  to  recruit,  in  the  employment  of  agents. 
"By  order  of  his  Excellency, 

"  JOHN  A.  ANDBEW, 
"  Governor  and  Commander-in-chief. 
(Signed)  "WILLIAM  SCHOULAB, 

"Adjutant-general." 

The  Governor  authorized  John  W.  M.  Appleton  to  su- 
perintend the  recruiting  of  a  regiment  to  be  designated 
as  the  "  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry," 
composed  of  "  persons  of  African  descent."  A  rendezvous 
was  established  at  "  Camp  Meigs,"  Readville,  Massachu- 
setts, February  21, 1863.  It  began  with  a  squad  of  twen- 
ty-seven, and  afterwards  the  recruits  arrived  almost  daily. 
The  greatest  enthusiasm  prevailed  among  the  Negro  citi- 
zens, and  many  patriotic  meetings  were  held  in  their 
churches  or  places  of  public  convenience.  On  the  12th 
of  April  following  the  Fifty-fourth  Regiment  was  full  to 
overflowing.  Two  other  regiments  were  constituted  of 
"  persons  of  African,  descent,"  the  Fifty-fifth  Infantry  and 
the  Fifth  Cavalry.  The  small  Negro  population  of  Mas- 
sachusetts was  soon  depleted,  and  Governor  Andrew  de- 
spatched his  recruiting  agents  to  other  States  to  secure 
levies  to  complete  the  new  organizations.  The  work  was 
carried  forward  with  patriotic  enthusiasm,  and  the  results 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  105 

were  grateful  to  the  hearts  of  the  courageous  few  who 
had  stood  for  the  Negro  in  other  and  less  enlightened 
days. 

The  year  1862  was  a  period  of  great  peril  to  the  Re- 
public. The  Administration  was  endeavoring  to  secure 
the  return  of  the  seceding  States  with  as  little  effusion  of 
blood  as  possible.  It  was  endeavoring  to  please  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  at  the  North,  and  to  conciliate  the  rebels 
at  the  South,  by  employing  the  army  to  return  fugitive 
slaves.  This  service  was  not  applauded  at  the  North  nor 
appreciated  at  the  South.  This  policy  had  failed.  In  the 
autumn  of  1862  there  was  to  be  an  election  of  Congress- 
men. The  Administration  had  to  look  for  its  support- 
ers from  the  New  England,  Middle,  and  Western  States. 
What  policy  could  it  appeal  to  the  people  to  sustain? 
Certainly  not  a  slave-catching  policy,  for  the  men  in  the 
North  who  would  be  most  likely  to  approve  such  a  policy 
were  uncompromisingly  opposed  to  the  Administration. 
Nothing  that  the  Administration  might  do  or  forbear  to 
do  would  mollify  the  malice  of  its  enemies  and  traducers. 
So,  on  the  22d  of  September,  1862,  the  President  took  a 
bold  step.  He  issued  an  emancipation  proclamation.  It 
was  an  extreme  change  on  the  eve  of  the  election,  and  to 
many  it  seemed  a  bid  for  political  support,  and  not  the 
result  of  an  expanding  and  generous  sentiment.  Even 
the  men  who  had  urged  a  policy  of  emancipation  were  in 
doubt  how  to  regard  the  proclamation,  while  anti- Admin- 
istration men  cried,  it  is  "  the  Negro  and  not  the  Union 
that  Lincoln  is  endeavoring  to  save."  It  was  too  near  the 
autumn  elections  to  have  a  fair  expression  of  opinion  on 
the  proclamation,  and  thus  the  Administration  was  loser 
in  the  contest.  There  were  now  seventy-eight  Republi- 
cans to  thirty-seven  Democrats,  but  the  election  resulted 
in  giving  the  opposition  a  majority  of  ten  in  the  new  Con- 


106  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

gress.  There  were  many  evidences  of  a  bitter  feeling 
towards  the  Administration  on  the  part  of  the  people  and 
their  journals.  But  progressing  public  sentiment  soon 
broke  the  opposition  in  Congress,  and  the  Administration 
secured  the  support  of  the  majority  for  an  earnest  and 
radical  policy. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1863,  the  President  signalized 
"  New-year's-day  "  by  another  proclamation  declaring  the 
slaves  forever  free  /  and  thus  1863  was  inaugurated  by  a 
vigorous  and  humane  policy.  It  is  apparent,  therefore, 
that  the  policy  of  arming  Negroes  was  both  logical  and 
inevitable.  While  Kansas  and  Massachusetts  were  re- 
cruiting Negro  soldiers,  the  Administration  decided  not 
only  to  receive  fugitives  within  its  military  lines,  but  to 
seize  them — men,  women,  and  children — and  bring  them 
in.  The  object  was  to  deplete  the  labor  force  of  the  en- 
emy and  to  put  the  American  uniform  upon  the  Negro. 

General  Halleck,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  array,  in 
the  following  letter  to  Grant  clearly  outlined  the  policy  of 
the  Government  in  receiving  and  arming  all  Negroes  capa- 
ble of  military  service  who  came  within  the  Union  lines. 

"  Headquarters  of  the  Army,  Washington, 

"  March  31, 1863. 
May. -gen  I  U.  8.  Grant, 

"  Commtfg  Dept.  of  the  Tenn.  near  Vicksburg. 

"GEN'L — It  is  the  policy  of  the  Government  to  withdraw  from  the 
enemy  as  much  productive  labor  as  possible.  So  long  as  the  rebels  re- 
tain and  employ  their  slaves  in  producing  grains,  etc.,  they  can  em- 
ploy all  the  whites  in  the  field.  Every  slave  withdrawn  from  the 
enemy  is  equivalent  to  a  white  put  hors  de  combat. 

"Again:  it  is  the  policy  of  the  Government  to  use  the  Negroes  of 
the  South,  as  far  as  practicable,  as  a  military  force  for  the  defense  of 
forts,  depots,  etc.  If  the  experience  of  General  Banks  near  New  Or- 
leans should  be  satisfactory,  a  much  larger  force  will  be  organized 
during  the  coming  summer;  and  if  they  can  be  used  to  hold  points  on 
the  Mississippi  during  the  sickly  season,  it  will  afford  much  relief  to 
our  armies. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         10T 

"  They  certainly  can  be  used  with  advantage  as  laborers,  teamsters, 
cooks,  etc.  And  it  is  the  opinion  of  many  who  have  examined  the 
question  without  passion  or  prejudice,  that  they  can  also  be  used  as  a 
military  force.  It  certainly  is  good  policy  to  use  them  to  the  very  best 
advantage  we  can.  Like  almost  anything  else,  they  may  be  made  in- 
struments of  good  or  evil ;  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  they  are  used 
with  much  effect  against  us,  in  our  hands  we  must  try  to  use  them 
with  the  best  possible  effect  against  the  rebels. 

"  It  has  been  reported  to  the  Secretary  of  War  that  many  of  the  offi- 
cers of  your  command  not  only  discourage  the  Negroes  from  coming 
under  our  protection,  but  by  ill-treatment  force  them  to  return  to  their 
masters;  this  is  not  only  bad  policy  in  itself,  but  is  directly  opposed 
to  the  policy  adopted  by  the  Government.  Whatever  may  be  the  in- 
dividual opinion  of  an  officer  in  regard  to  the  wisdom  of  measures 
adopted  and  announced  by  the  Government,  it  is  the  duty  of  every 
one  to  cheerfully  and  honestly  endeavor  to  carry  out  the  measures  so 
adopted. 

"Their  good  or  bad  policy  is  a  matter  of  opinion  before  they  are 
tried ;  their  real  character  can  only  be  determined  by  a  fair  trial ,  when 
adopted  by  the  Government  it  is  the  duty  of  every  officer  to  give  them 
such  a  trial,  and  to  do  everything  in  his  power  to  carry  the  orders  of 
his  Government  into  execution. 

"  It  is  expected  that  you.  will  use  your  official  and  personal  influence 
to  remove  prejudices  on  this  subject,  and  to  fully  and  thoroughly  carry 
out  the  policy  now  adopted  and  ordered  by  the  Government.  That 
policy  is,  to  withdraw  from  the  use  of  the  enemy  all  the  slaves  you 
can,  and  to  employ  those  so  withdrawn  to  the  best  possible  advantage 
against  the  enemy. 

' '  The  character  of  the  war  has  very  much  changed  within  the  last 
year.  There  is  now  no  possible  hope  of  reconciliation  with  the  rebels. 
The  Union  party  in  the  South  is  virtually  destroyed.  There  can  be 
no  peace  but  that  which  is  forced  by  the  sword.  We  must  conquer 
the  rebels  or  be  conquered  by  them.  The  North  must  conquer  the 
Slave  Oligarch y  or  become  slaves  themselves,  the  manufacturers  mere 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  to  Southern  aristocrats. 

"  This  is  the  phase  which  the  rebellion  has  now  assumed.  We  must 
take  things  as  they  are.  The  Government,  looking  at  the  subject  in  all 
its  aspects,  has  adopted  a  policy,  and  we  must  cheerfully  and  faithfully 
carry  out  that  policy. 

"  I  write  you  this  unofficial  letter  simply  as  a  personal  friend,  and 
as  a  matter  of  friendly  advice.  From  my  position  here,  where  I  can 
survey  the  entire  field,  perhaps  I  may  be  better  able  to  understand  the 


108  A   HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

tone  of  public  opinion,  and  the  intentions  of  the  Government,  than  you 
can  from  merely  consulting  the  officers  of  your  own  army. 

' '  Very  respectfully,  your  ob't  serv't, 

"  H.  W.  HALLECK." 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1863,  General  Grant  wrote  to 
General  Halleck  from  Milliken's  Bend,  Louisiana,  and, 
among  other  things,  refers  to  the  policy  of  the  military 
employment  of  Negroes  as  follows : 

".At  least  three  of  my  Army  Corps  commanders  take  hold  of  the 
new  policy  of  arming  the  Negroes,  and  using  them  against  the  enemy 
with  a  will.  They,  at  least,  are  so  much  of  soldiers  as  to  feel  them- 
selves under  obligations  to  carry  out  a  policy  (which  they  would  not 
inaugurate)  in  the  same  good  faith  and  with  the  same  zeal  as  if  it  was 
of  their  own  choosing.  You  may  rely  on  me  carrying  out  any  policy 
ordered  by  proper  authority,  to  the  best  of  my  ability." 

His  promise  to  Halleck  wa'S  no  mere  lip  service,  and  a 
few  days  later  he  issued  the  following  order  to  facilitate 
the  organization  of  colored  troops  in  his  department : 

"  Headquarters  Department  of  the  Tennessee, 
"  Milliken's  Bend,  Louisiana,  April  22, 1863. 
"  General  Orders,  No.  25  [Extract]. 

"I.  Corps, division, and  post  commanders  will  afford  all  facilities  for 
the  completion  of  the  negro  regiments  now  organizing  in  this  depart- 
ment. Commissaries  will  issue  supplies  and  quartermasters  will  fur- 
nish stores  on  the  same  requisitions  and  returns  as  are  required  from 
other  troops. 

"It  is  expected  that  all  commanders  will  especially  exert  them- 
selves in  carrying  out  the  policy  of  the  administration,  not  only  in 
organizing  colored  regiments  and  rendering  them  efficient,  but  also  in 
removing  prejudice  against  them.  *  *  * 
"  By  order  of  Major-general  U.  S.  Grant. 

"  JNO.  A.  RAWLINB,  A.  A.  G. " 

In  order  to  put  this  policy  into  immediate  and  effective 
operation,  General  Lorenzo  Thomas,  Adjutant-general  of 
the  United  States  Army,  was  despatched  to  the  Missis- 


IN  THE   WAR   OF  THE   REBELLION.  109 

sippi  Valley.  He  was  clothed  with  plenary  powers  to 
enforce  the  new  policy  of  the  Administration.  He  was 
ordered  to  dismiss  and  to  commission  officers  according 
as  they  were  against  or  for  the  new  policy  without  refer- 
ring their  cases  to  Washington.  On  the  8th  of  April, 
1863,  at  Lake  Providence,  Louisiana,  he  addressed  the 
United  States  Army,  and  expounded  the  policy  of  the 
Administration.  "  You  know  full  well,"  said  General 
Thomas,  "  for  you  have  been  over  this  country,  that  the 
rebels  have  sent  into  the  field  all  their  available  fighting 
men — every  man  capable  of  bearing  arms — and  you  know 
they  have  kept  at  home  all  their  slaves  for  the  raising  of 
subsistence  for  their  armies  in  the  field.  In  this  way 
they  can  bring  to  bear  against  us  all  the  strength  of  their 
so-called  Confederate  States,  while  we  at  the  North  can 
only  send  a  portion  of  our  fighting  force,  being  compelled 
to  have  behind  another  portion  to  cultivate  our  fields  and 
supply  the  wants  of  an  immense  army.  The  Administra- 
tion has  determined  to  take  from  the  rebels  this  source 
of  supply — to  take  their  Negroes,  and  compel  them  to 
send  back  a  portion  of  their  whites  to  cultivate  their  de- 
serted plantations ;  and  very  poor  persons  they  would  be 
to  fill  the  place  of  the  dark-hued  laborer.  They  must  do 
this  or  their  armies  will  starve." 

This  was  the  first  clear  official  announcement  of  the 
•new  policy  of  the  Administration.  The  old  enterprise  of 
turning  the  fugitive  away — compelling  him  at  the.  point 
of  the  bayonet  to  go  back  to  the  "service  and  labor  "  from 
which  he  had  flown — was  abandoned  at  last.  Instead  of 
being  turned  out  of  the  Union  lines  he  was  to  be  taken 
in  ;  and  the  black  arms  of  iron  and  fingers  of  steel  that 
had  lifted  the  burdens  and  held  the  hoe  for  the  Confed- 
eracy were  to  be  converted  to  the  service  of  the  United 
States  Government.  "  On  the  first  day  of  January  last 


110  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

the  President  issued  his  Proclamation,"  continued  Gen- 
eral Thomas,  "declaring  that  from  that  day  forward  all 
the  slaves  in  the  States  then  in  rebellion  should  be  free. 
You  know  that  vast  numbers  of  these  slaves  are  within 
your  borders,  inside  of  the  lines  of  this  army.  They  came 
into  your  camps,  and  you  cannot  but  receive  them.  The 
authorities  in  Washington  are  very  much  pained  to  hear, 
and  I  fear  with  truth  in  many  cases,  that  some  of  these 
poor  unfortunates  have,  on  different  occasions,  been  turned 
away  from  us,  and  their  applications  for  admission  within 
our  lines  have  been  refused  by  our  officers  and  soldiers. 
This  is  not  the  way  to  use  freedmen."  Speaking  of  the 
practical  operation  of  the  new  policy,  he  said,  "  All  of  you 
will  some  day  be  on  picket  duty,  and  I  charge  you  all  if 
any  of  this  unfortunate  race  come  within  your  lines  that 
you  do  not  turn  them  away,  but  receive  them  kindly  and 
cordially.  They  are  to  be  encouraged  to  come  to  us. 
They  are  to  be  received  with  open  arms ;  they  are  to  be 
fed  and  clothed ;  they  are  to  be  armed. 

"This  is  the  policy  that  has  been  fully  determined 
upon.  I  am  here  to  say  that  I  am  authorized  to  raise  as 
many  regiments  of  Blacks  as  I  can.  I  am  authorized  to 
give  commissions,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  and  I 
desire  those  persons  who  are  in  earnest  in  this  work  "to 
take  hold  of  it.  I  desire  only  those  whose  hearts  are  in 
it,  and  to  them  alone  will  I  give  commissions.  I  don't 
care  who  they  are  or  what  their  present  rank  may  be.  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  all  proper  persons  will  receive 
commissions. 

"  "While  I  am  authorized  thus,  in  the  name  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  War,  I  have  the  fullest  authority  to  dismiss  from 
the  army  any  man,  be  his  rank  what  it  may,  whom  I  find 
maltreating  the  freedmen.  This  part  of  my  duty  1  will 
most  assuredly  perform  if  any  case  comes  before  me.  I 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         Ill 

would  rather  do  that  than  give  commissions,  because  such 
men  are  unworthy  the  name  of  soldiers." 

In  recapitulating  the  policy  of  the  Administration,  Gen- 
eral Thomas  concluded : 

"I  would  like  to  raise  on  this  river  twenty  regiments 
at  least  before  I  go  back.  I  shall  take  all  the  women  and 
children,  and  all  the  men  unfit  for  our  military  organiza- 
tions, and  place  them  on  these  plantations;  then  take 
these  regiments  and  put  them  in  the  rear.  They  will 
guard  the  rear  effectually.  Knowing  the  country  well, 
and  familiar  with  all  the  roads  and  swamps,  they  will  be 
able  to  track  out  the  accursed  'guerilla  and  run  them  from 
the  land.  When  I  get  regiments  raised  you  may  sweep 
out  into  the  interior  with  impunity. 

"  Recollect,  for  every  regiment  of  Blacks  I  raise,  I  raise 
a  regiment  of  whites  to  face  the  foe  in  the  field.  This, 
fellow-soldiers,  is  the  determined  policy  of  the  Adminis- 
tration. You  all  know  full  well  when  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  though  said  to  be  slow  in  coming  to  a 
determination — when  he  once  puts  his  foot  down,  it  is 
there,  and  he  is  not  going  to  take  it  up.  He  has  put  his 
foot  down  ;  I  am  here  to  assure  you  that  my  official  influ- 
ence shall  be  given  that  he  shall  not  raise  it." 

"The  entire  speech  of  the  Adjutant-general  of  the  Army 
of  the  United  States  was  telegraphed  to  the  North,  and 
the  enthusiasm  over  this  new  business-like  policy  made 
many  friends  for  the  Administration.  It  was  scarcely 
less  a  surprise  to  the  North  than  it  was  to  the  South  to 
learn  that  a  change  so  sweeping  had  taken  place  in  the 
policy  of  the  Government.  The  magnificent  sentiment 
of  the  speech  of  Adjutant-general  Thomas  touched  the 
heart  of  the  Christian  world,  and  the  horrors  of  civil 
war  were  mitigated  by  the  noble  idea  of  practical  eman- 
cipation The  question  of  property  was  definitely  settled 


112  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

so  far  as  the  slaves  of  persons  and  States  in  actual  rebel- 
lion against  the  authority  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment were  concerned.  The  Negroes  of  such  States  were 
absolutely  free,  and  their  services  were  sought  by  the 
Government.  The  grand  policy  of  emancipation  and  the 
military  employment  of  the  American  slave  having  been 
officially  proclaimed,  it  swept  forward  with  the  force  and 
majesty  of  its  importance.  General  Thomas  was  unre- 
mitting in  his  labors  in  this  behalf,  and  visited  Memphis, 
Helena,  and  Vicksburg.  The  prejudice  of  white  troops 
was  melting  away  every  day,  and  the  experiment  was  win- 
ning favor  everywhere. 

General  Thomas  reported  to  the  Secretary  of  War  from 
Lake  Providence  in  the  following  despatch : 

"Lake  Providence,  Louisiana,  April  9, 

"  Via  Cairo,  Illinois,  April  15, 1863. 
' '  Hon.  E.  M.  Stanton : 

"I  arrived  at  this  place  early  yesterday  morning,  and  made  arrange- 
ments for  addressing  Generals  McArthur's  and  Logan's  divisions  of 
General  McPherson's  army  corps.  I  announced  to  the  former  divis- 
ion in  the  morning,  four  thousand  being  present,  the  policy  of  the  Gov- 
ernment respecting  the  black  race,  and  in  the  afternoon  to  General 
Logan's  division,  some  seven  thousand.  The  troops  received  it  with 
great  enthusiasm,  and  many  speeches  were  made  by  officers  of  differ- 
ent rank,  fully  indorsing  the  policy.  I  must  refer  to  the  eloquent 
remarks  of  General  Logan,  who  not  only  fully  indorsed  my  own  re- 
marks, but  went  far  beyond  them,  stating  most  emphatically  that  he 
would  never  return  to  his  home,  from  which  his  wife  and  child  had 
been  driven  by  an  unnatural  father,  until  this  wicked  rebellion  shall 
be  utterly  crushed.  I  asked  from  each  of  these  divisions  officers  to 
raise  two  Negro  regiments,  but  the  difficulty  will  be  to  restrict  them  to 
that  number,  for  at  least  ten  regiments  can  be  obtained.  My  first  ar- 
rangements are  for  ten  regiments,  and  after  these  shall  have  been  raised 
further  arrangements  will  be  made  for  others.  Ten  thousand  pairs 
of  Negro  shoes  of  large  size  should  at  once  be  forwarded  to  Memphis. 
Also,  arms  for  that  number,  including  those  that  may  be  in  the  depot 
at  that  place.  I  shall  write  to  Captain  Eddy  to  make  requisition  for 
clothing  for  ten  thousand  men.  I  have  overtaxed  my  strength,  and  am 
far  from  well,  but  hope  a  day  or  two  rest  may  recruit  my  energies. 

"  L.  THOMAS,  Adjt.-gen." 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  113 

General  N.  P.  Banks  was  now  in  command  at  New  Or- 
leans. Upon  his  assumption  of  the  command  of  the  "  De- 
partment of  the  Gulf,"  he  found  the  Negro  regiments 
that  had  been  organized  by  General  Butler.  He  was  so 
much  pleased  with  their  appearance  and  drill  that  he  is- 
sued an  order  (No.  40)  for  u  the  organization  of  a  Corps 
d'Armee  of  colored  troops,  to  be  designated  as  the  Corps 
d'Afrique."  l  The  order  was  issued  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1863,  and  contemplated  "  eighteen  regiments,  representing 
all  arms — infantry,  artillery,  cavalry  —  making  three  bri- 
gades of  two  regiments  each,  and  three  divisions  of  three 
brigades  each,  with  appropriate  corps  of  engineers,  and 
flying  hospitals  for  each  division."  The  general  went  on 
to  remark  in  his  order  that  the  efficiency  of  troops  de- 
pended largely  upon  the  character  of  the  officers;  that 
small  regiments  of  troops  of  this  character  were  more  ea- 
sily disciplined  ;  and  that  details  of  officers  of  the  highest 
standing  would  be  made  to  instruct  the  black  levies. 
General  Banks  brought  rare  patriotism,  high  intelligence, 
anrjl  splendid  tact  to  the  work  of  organization;  while  the 
freed  men  responded  to  his  call  and  complied  with  his 
terms  with  enthusiasm. 

The  enterprise  of  recruiting  and  organizing  Negro 
troops  grew  to  such  proportions  that  competent  and  ap- 
propriate machinery  had  to  be  constituted  at  Washing- 
ton. In  General  Orders  No.  143,  dated  Washington,  May 
22, 1863,  a  bureau  was  established  for  the  conduct  of  all 
matters  referring  to  the  organization  of  Negro  troops.  A 
detail  of  clerks  was  made,  and  a  competent  officer  placed 
at  the  head  of  the  new  bureau.  Three  or  four  field- 
officers  were  detailed  to  inspect  the  work  of  recruiting  at 
different  points  where  stations  were  to  be  maintained  by 

1  "Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xv.,  pp.  716, 

717. 


114  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

order  of  the  War  Department.  Boards  were  to  be  con- 
vened, at  such  points  as  the  War  Department  might  des- 
ignate, to  examine  applicants  for  commissions  in  Negro 
regiments,  the  applicants  first  receiving  permission  from 
the  Adjutant-general  to  appear  before  such  boards.  Per- 
sons who  desired  to  recruit  Negroes  for  the  army  were 
required  to  pass  an  examination  before  a  board,  and  the 
maximum  of  such  service  was  one  regiment  to  each  per- 
son specially  authorized  by  the  War  Department.  Each 
candidate  was  given  rank  according  to  the  character  of 
his  examination.  An  applicant  for  a  colonelcy  might 
only  get  a  captaincy.  Negro  troops  were  to  be  accepted 
by  companies,  the  regiments  formed  from  time  to  time 
taking  their  number  according  to  the  date  of  muster.  All 
matters  respecting  "  United  States  Colored  Troops  "  were 
to  be  referred  to  the  Adjutant-general  in  care  of  the  War 
Department. 

With  efficient  methods  and  a  matchless  head  like  Adju- 
tant-general Thomas,  the  work  of  employing  Negroes  as 
soldiers  was  soon  systematized,  and  worked  out  the  best 
results  both  for  the  Negro  and  the  Government.  The 
former  was  proud  of  the  generous  invitation  to  aid  in 
destroying  slavery  and  in  preserving  the  Union,  and  the 
latter  was  pleased  with  the  efforts  of  its  new  policy  upon 
the  country  and  the  progress  of  the  war.  In  August, 
1863,  the  Administration  despatched  Adjutant  -  general 
Thomas  to  the  South-west,  still  further  to  enlarge  the 
scope  of  the  enlistment  of  Negroes.  He  was  empowered 
to  continue  the  work  of  "  organization  into  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States  of  all  able-bodied  male  per- 
sons of  African  descent  who  may  come  within  our  lines, 
or  who  may  be  brought  in  by  our  troops,  or  who  may 
have  already  placed  themselves  under  the  protection  of 
the  Federal  Government." 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         115 

The  Administration  was  so  earnestly  committed  to  the  . 
work  of  the  organization  of  Negro  troops  that  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  sent  the  following  telegram  to  the  command- 
ing officer  at  Memphis,  requiring  the  removal  of  Colonel 
Martin,  who  had  opposed  the  policy  of  the  Government : 

"  War  Department,  September  25, 1863. 
"  Major-general  Hurlburt,  Commd'g  at  Memphis  : 

"This  Department  is  satisfied  that  the  good  of  the  service  requires 
the  removal  of  Colonel  Martin  from  command  at  Paducha,  and  the 
assignment  of  some  officer  there  who  will  not  permit  the  surrender  of 
slaves  to  rebel  masters,  nor  oppose  the  policy  of  the  Government  in 
organizing  Colored  troops.  If  Paducha  is  within  your  command,  you 
•will  please  relieve  Colonel  Martin  and  assign  some  officer  of  active 
loyalty,  who  may  be  intrusted  with  the  duty  of  organizing  a  Colored 
regiment  for  the  service.  EDWIN  M.  STANTON, 

"  Secretary  of  War." 

Thus  far  the  Negro  recruits  had  been  taken  from  States 
where  the  slave-holders  were  engaged  in  armed  rebellion. 
The  Administration  now  began  to  look  about  for  new 
fields  in  which  to  recruit  Negroes.  The  border  slave 
States  and  portions  of  the  seceded  States  were  exempted 
from  the  provisions  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation, 
and  the  slaves  could  not  be  taken  without  compensation 
to  loyal  masters.  On  the  13th  of  October,  1863,  in  Gen- 
eral Orders  No.  329,  the  War  Department  established  re- 
cruiting stations  in  Maryland,  Tennessee,  and  Missouri ; 
Delaware  was  included  October  26th,  and  the  methods 
were  carefully  prescribed.  "All  able-bodied  free  Ne- 
groes, slaves  of  disloyal  persons,  and  slaves  of  loyal  persons, 
with  the  consent  of  their  owners,"  were  declared  to  be  eli- 
gible for  military  employment.  The  county  and  State  fur- 
nishing Negro  recruits  were  to  be  credited  with  them,  and 
loyal  masters  consenting  to  the  enlistment  of  their  slaves 
were  to  receive  three  hundred  dollars  for  each  one,  after 


116  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

filing  proof  of  ownership  and  furnishing  a  deed  of  manu- 
mission. It  was  required,  however,  that  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  recruits  should  be  obtained  within  thirty  days  from 
the  date  of  opening  the  recruiting  station,  otherwise  the 
slaves  could  be  taken  without  obtaining  the  consent  of 
the  loyal  owners.  They  were  to  be  compensated,  never- 
theless, as  in  the  former  case.  Special  boards  were  cre- 
ated in  these  States  to  determine  the  claims  of  owners 
and  to  facilitate  the  work  of  obtaining  black  levies. 

The  feeling  in  New  York  State,  and  especially  in  the 
city,  was  not  friendly  to  the  Negro.  The  State  Gov- 
ernment was  Democratic,  and  the  foreign  element  in  the 
large  cities  was  restless  and  threatening.  But  there  were 
many  patriotic  men  in  New  York  who  were  in  hearty 
accord  with  the  Administration  in  placing  arms  in  the 
hands  of  the  Negroes.  The  Union  League  Club,  of  New 
York  City,  finding  that  the  State  authorities  would  not 
entertain  the  proposition  to  employ  Negroes  as  soldiers, 
on  the  12th  of  November,  1863,  appointed  a  committee  to 
devise  means  for  raising  Negro  troops.  Colonel  George 
Bliss,  Jr.,  was  chosen  chairman,  and  the  committee  entered 
at  once  upon  the  discharge  of  its  duties.  The  "War  De- 
partment preferred  to  have  the  concurrence  of  the  State 
Government  when  it  extended  its  authority  to  individuals 
to  raise  Negro  troops.  On  the  23d  of  November,  1863,  the 
committee  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of  New 
York — Horatio  Seymour — stating  that  as  he  could  not 
grant  the  committee  authority  to  enlist  Negroes  as  sol- 
diers, and  in  view  of  the  desire  of  the  War  Department 
to  have  the  committee's  work  indorsed  by  the  State,  they 
would  be  greatly  obliged  if  his  excellency  would  grant 
the  committee  his  official  approval. 

The  Secretary  of  "War  addressed  the  following  telegram 
to  General  Strong,  of  New  York  City : 


IN"  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  117 

"War  Department,  November  24, 1863. 
"  General  William  K.  Strong,  New  York: 

"  On  application  by  suitable  persons  special  authority  will  be  granted 
to  raise  Colored  troops  in  New  York,  according  to  the  rules  and  regu- 
lations relative  to  organizing  and  raising  Colored  troops.  The  troops 
so  raised  will  be  credited  to  the  State.  Until  Congress  shall  authorize 
it  no  bounty  can  be  paid,  and  the  pay  is  limited  by  the  act  of  Congress 
to  ten  dollars  a  month.  The  Department  will  recommend  that  in  this 
respect  the  act  be  amended  so  as  to  make  the  pay  the  same  as  other 
soldiers.  They  will  be  enrolled  as  United  States  Volunteers,  and  the 
officers  be  appointed  and  commissioned  by  the  President. 

"EDWIN  M.  STANTON, 
"  Secretary  of  War." 

On  the  27th  of  November  the  Governor  wrote  the  com- 
mittee that  he  was  entirely  without  authority  to  grant 
them  permission  to  employ  Negroes  as  soldiers,  and  that 
they  must  apply  to  the  authorities  at  Washington.  The 
committee  knew  all  of  this  before^  but  were  now  thor- 
oughly convinced  that  they  would  look  in  vain  for  sym- 
pathy in  this  quarter.  On  the  3d  of  December,  1863,  the 
War  Department  granted  the  committee — George  Bliss, 
Jr.,  and  his  associates  —  authority  to  recruit  and  organ- 
ize the  "Twenty -fifth  Regiment  United  States  Colored 
Troops."  Having  been  armed  with  proper  authority  to 
recruit  a  regiment  of  Negroes,  the  committee  indulged  the 
hope  that  the  Governor  would  be  disposed  to  countenance 
and  aid  the  committee  in  their  patriotic  labors.  The  com- 
mittee accordingly  wrote  to  Governor  Seymour :  "  We  ex- 
press the  hope  that,  so  far  as  in  your  power,  you  will  give 
the  movement  your  aid  and  countenance."  The  Govern- 
or never  answered  this  most  reasonable  request,  but  the 
committee  went  forward  in  its  noble  work.  Its  zeal  was 
equalled  only  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Negro  volunteers, 
who  responded  to  their  country's  call  for  defenders. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1864,  Colonel  George  Bliss,  Jr., 
wrote  a  letter  -to  Secretary  Stan  ton  from  the  headquarters 


118  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

of  the  Twentieth  Regiment  United  States  Colored  Troops, 
No.  350  Fourth  Street,  New  York,  announcing  that  the 
regiment  had  reached  its  maximum  strength — 1,000  men. 
lie  requested  the  Secretary  to  allow  the  regiment  to  remain 
in  camp  for  thirty  days  or  more,  that  the  men  might  have 
an  opportunity  to  perfect  themselves  in  tactics  and  the 
general  duties  of  soldiers.  The  officers  had  been  selected 
from  the  army  in  the  field ;  the  men  were  physically  the 
equals  of  any ;  and  he  predicted  that  when  the  regiment 
should  depart  for  the  seat  of  war  it  would  be  better  drilled 
than  any  thus  far  sent  from  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
spoke  of  the  men  as  being  intelligently  enthusiastic  in  the 
performance  of  their  duties.  He  suggested  that  when  the 
regiment  should  leave  its  camp  on  the  Island  for  the  city, 
on  its  way  to  the  front,  it  should  be  landed  up-town  and 
march  down  Broadway.  He  told  the  Secretary  it  was  his 
desire  to  have  the  men  armed  .with  Springfield  muskets 
of  the  pattern  of  1861,  and  expressed  the  belief  that  the 
Government  would  thus  convince  the  Negroes  of  the 
North  that  it  was  ready  to  put  the  best  arms  into  their 
hands. 

This  letter  was  taken  to  the  War  Office  by  ex-Governor 
E.  D.  Morgan,  and,  being  unable  to  see  the  Secretary,  he 
wrote  a  letter  on  a  sheet  of  paper  with  the  official  head- 
ing of  the  Department  printed  upon  it.  The  letter  was 
dated  at  "  War  Department,  Washington,  D.  C.,  Wednes- 
day, January  6, 1864."  He  indorsed  the  letter  of  Colonel 
Bliss,  and  urged  Mr.  Stanton  to  grant  the  requests  made. 

The  wives  of  the  members  of  the  Union  League  Club 
were  deeply  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Club's  Commit- 
tee on  the  Recruiting  of  Negroes,  and  issued  a  circular 
calling  a  meeting  in  the  club-house,  January  5,  1864,  at 
2  P.M.,  to  appoint  a  committee  to  secure  a  stand  of  colors 
for  the  Twentieth  Regiment.  Among  the  signers  of  the 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  119 

call  were  the  following  ladies:  Mrs.  Charles  King,  Mrs. 
Henry  Van  Rennselaer,  Mrs.  Samuel  Wetmore,  Mrs.  George 
B.  De  Forrest,  Mrs.  John  Jay,  Mrs.  U.  A.  Murdock,  Mrs. 
Richard  M.  Plunt,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Astor,  Mrs.  D'Oremieux,  Mrs. 
Samuel  Bridgham,  Mrs.  William  Dodge,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Jackson 
S.  Schultz,  Mrs.  Frank  E.  Howe,  Mrs.  George  Bliss,  Jr., 
Mrs.  L.  G.  B.  Cannon. 

There  were  9,000  men  in  the  Negro  population  of  New 
York  eligible  by  age — from  eighteen  to  forty-five — and 
2,300  of  them  enlisted  in  less  than  sixty  days.  The  com- 
mittee raised  their  first  regiment  in  two  weeks,  and  by 
the  27th  of  January,  1864,  another  regiment,  which  was 
also  accepted  by  the  Government  and  mustered  into  the 
service.  This  was  the  extent  of  the  recruitment  of  Ne- 
groes in  New  York,  but  many  left  the  State  and  enlisted 
elsewhere.  The  State  of  New  York  never  enlisted  Ne- 
groes, as  the  following  statement  from  Major-general  John 
G.  Farns  worth  shows : 

"Adjutant-general's  Office,  Albany, 

"  December  17, 1885. 

"  This  State  did  not  organize  any  colored  troops.  Three  regiments 
were  recruited  by  authority  of  the  United  States  in  this  State.  The 
State  received  credit  for  enlistments  made,  but  the  credit  was  given 
by  the  United  States,  and  how  many  of  that  class  were  received  is  not 
known  here,  as  no  detailed  accounts  are  on  file. 

"  There  are  no  records  of  these  regiments  in  this  office  from  which 
the  information  you  desire  could  be  obtained." 

In  Pennsylvania  there  was  deep  interest  manifested  in 
the  employment  of  Negroes  as  soldiers.  Soon  after  the 
Government  had  committed  itself  to  the  policy  of  arming 
Negroes,  a  committee  of  patriotic  gentlemen  of  Philadel- 
phia secured  authority  to  recruit  Negroes  for  the  army. 
The  committee  was  organized,  with  Thomas  Webster  as 
chairman,  Cadwalader  Biddle  as  secretary,  and  S.  A.  Mer- 
cer as  treasurer.  The  sum  of  $33,388  was  speedily  raised 


120  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

to  promote  the  work.  The  two  regiments  of  Negroes 
raised  in  Massachusetts  had  cost  about  $60,000,  but  the 
committee  intended  to  raise  three  or  four  regiments  at 
$10,000  each.  A  camp  was  laid  out  at  Shelton  Hill,  near 
to  the  city,  and  named  "  Camp  "William  Penn."  On  the 
26th  of  June,  1863,  the  camp  was  inaugurated  by  a  squad 
of  eighty  men.  On  the  3d  of  February  the  committee 
made  the  following  statement  respecting  its  work : 

"On  the  24th  July,  1863,  the  first  (Third  United  States)  regiment 
was  full. 

"  On  the  13th  September,  1863,  the  second  (Sixth  United  States)  regi- 
ment was  full. 

"  On  the  4th  December,  1863,  the  third  (Eighth  United  States)  regi- 
ment was  full. 

"  On  the  6th  January,  1864,  the  fourth  (Twenty-second  United  States) 
regiment  was  full. 

"  On  the  3d  February,  1864,  the  fifth  (Twenty-fifth  United  States) 
regiment  was  full. 

"  August  13, 1863,  the  Third  United  States  Regiment  left  Camp  Will- 
iam Penn,  and  was  in  front  of  Fort  Wagner  when  it  surrendered. 

"  October  14, 1863,  the  Sixth  United  States  Regiment  left  for  York- 
town. 

"January  16, 1864,  the  Eighth  United  States  Regiment  left  for  Hil- 
ton Head. 

"The  Twenty-second  and  Twenty-fifth  regiments  are  now  at  Camp 
William  Penn,  awaiting  orders  from  the  Government." 

The  regiments  that  went  from  this  camp  -were  among 
the  best  in  the  army.  Their  officers  had  been  carefully 
selected  and  specially  trained  in  a  military  school  under 
competent  teachers,  and  the  troops  themselves  were  noted 
for  intelligence,  proficiency,  and  pluck. 

In  accordance  with  the  order  establishing  recruiting 
stations  in  Tennessee,  published  on  the  13th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1863,  an  office  was  opened  at  Nashville.  George  L. 
Stearns,  Esq.,  of  Medford,  Massachusetts,  was  chosen  by 
the  War  Department  "  Commissioner  for  the  Organiza- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         121 

tion  of  United  States  Colored  Troops."  His  commission 
was  issued  June  6, 1863.  He  was  given  the  rank  of  ma- 
jor with  the  powers  of  an  assistant-adjutant-general.  He 
was  independent  of  the  general  in  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  and  received  his  orders  direct  from 
the  "War  Department.  The  selection  of  Major  Stearns  was 
a  very  happy  one.  He  was  an  abolitionist  of  the  most 
pronounced  type.  He  had  laid  a  large  fortune  on  the  al- 
tar of  liberty,  and  consecrated  himself  to  the  disinthral- 
ment  of  bleeding  Kansas.  He  had  furnished  John  Brown 
with  Sharp's  rifles  in  the  "  Border  Ruffian  War,"  and  his 
heart  was  in  the  war  that  he  believed  would  inevitably 
put  an  end  to  slavery.  He  knew  the  Negro,  believed  in 
his  manhood,  and  was  proud  to  place  muskets  in  his  wait- 
ing and  willing  hands.  He  began  his  work  with  charac- 
teristic vigor  and  business  skill.  The  few  months  he  gave 
to  the  work  were  memorable.  It  is  seldom  the  Govern- 
ment can  command  such  talents  and  experience,  such  pa- 
triotism and  patience,  as  Major  Stearns  brought  to  bear  in 
his  peculiarly  trying  and  unique  work. 

The  first  work  that  Major  Stearns  did  in  raising  col- 
ored troops  was  for  Massachusetts ;  but  he  subsequently 
extended  his  labors  into  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  at 
k  the  same  time  despatching  agents  through  nearly  all  of 
the  free  States.  General  Couch  was  in  charge  of  all  the 
troops  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  when  Major 
Stearns  offered  him  colored  troops  he  refused  to  accept 
them.  The  Major  immediately  appealed  to  the  "War  De- 
partment, and  the  Secretary  sent  the  following  telegram  : 


,,,,.„  "  War  Department.  June  18. 1863. 

"Major  George  L.  Stearns, 

"  Continental  Hotel,  Philadelphia : 

"  This  morning  I  saw  the  despatch  referred  to  in  your  telegram,  and 
immediately  telegraphed  General  Couch  that  he  was  authorized  to  re- 


122  A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

ceive  troops  without  regard  to  color ;  but  if  there  is  likely  to  be  any 
dispute  about  the  matter,  it  will  be  better  to  send  no  more.  It  is  well 
to  avoid  all  controversy  in  the  present  juncture,  as  the  troops  can  be 
used  elsewhere.  EDWIN  M.  STANTON, 

"  Secretary  of  War." 

He  took  in  the  situation  at  Nashville  at  once,  and  met 
the  exigencies  of  every  day.  He  found  that  the  men 
whom  he  was  enlisting  were  being  sent  out  to  the  front 
to  perform  fatigue  duty.  He  felt  that  his  honor  was  in- 
volved in  this  matter,  since  he  had  enlisted  them  to  be  sol- 
diers, not  laborers.  He  expressed  some  plain  truths  to 
the  War  Department  about  this  matter.  He  suggested 
that  Negro  troops  should  be  put  in  camps  of  instruction 
and  prepared  for  the  duties  of  the  field.  He  felt  that  it 
was  only  justice  to  troops  of  this  character  to  give  them 
fair  opportunities  to  compete  with  their  white  compatri- 
ots in  camp,  and  successfully  contend  with  the  enemy  in 
the  field.  Major-general  George  H.  Thomas  had  ordered 
six  companies  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Negro 
troops  from  Gallatin,  Tennessee,  to  Bridgeport,  Alabama, 
to  do  fatigue  duty.  This  was  on  the  20th  of  November, 
1863.  Major  Stearns  felt  that  he  could  not  endure  this, 
and  remonstrated  against  it. 

Major  Stearns  was  a  man  of  strong  personality.  He 
could  not  endure  shams,  and  on  all  occasions  and  in  all 
places  spoke  the  truth  without  wincing.  The  wholesale 
system  of  impressment  of  Negroes  in  Nashville  was  de- 
moralizing, and  he  threw  himself  at  once  into  the  breach. 
He  called  a  meeting  of  the  Negroes  of  the  city  in  one  of 
the  largest  churches.  He  told  this  people  that  rather 
than  be  dragged  into  the  trenches  and  fortifications,  they 
had  better  volunteer,  and  he  pledged  himself  to  pay  their 
wages  out  of  his  private  funds.  The  Negroes  believed 
him,  and  the  next  day  three  hundred  responded  to  his 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         123 

call  for  volunteers.  It  is  not  necessary  to  state  that  he 
kept  his  promise  with  these  men. 

Kentucky  was  not  included  in  the  Emancipation  edict, 
and  the  Secretary  of  War  had  repeatedly  requested  Major 
Stearns  to  return  fugitive  slaves.  To  such  a  request  this 
stalwart  New  England  abolitionist  turned  a  deaf  ear.  He 
could  give  his  money  and  his  energy;  he  could  conse- 
crate his  talents,  and  even  immolate  his  life  upon  the  altar 
of  humanity  in  the  interest  of  the  Negro,  but  he  could 
not  turn  slave-catcher.  The  conservatism  of  the  War  De- 
partment was  trembling  lest  Major  Stearns  should  come 
in  conflict  with  the  military  governor  of  Tennessee,  An- 
drew Johnson,  and  day  after  day  telegrams  poured  in  upon 
him  urging  him  not  to  quarrel  with  Governor  Johnson. 
With  characteristic  dash  and  boldness  he  took  a  bundle  of 
these  telegrams,  and  walking  into  the  presence  of  An- 
drew Johnson,  asked  Ijirn  what  quarrel  he  had  with  him. 
He  was  so  intensely  earnest,  charged  with  such  wonderful 
personal  magnetism,  that  to  know  him  was  to  love  him, 
and  Johnson  found  himself  confronted  by  a  friend  and 
not  a  foe.  Thenceforward  these  two  men  worked  in  har- 
mony while  Stearns  remained.  He  was  too  radical  for 
executive  work  of  this  character. 

The  following  telegrams  show  the  mind  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  respecting  Major  Stearns's  authority  in  the 
organization  of  Negro  troops  in  this  Department : 

"  War  Department,  September  18, 1863. 
"Brigadier-general  Andrew  Johnson, 

"Military  Governor,  Nashville : 

"  Your  telegram  just  received.  Major  Stearns  was  sent  to  Nashville 
to  aid  in  the  organization  of  Colored  troops  under  your  directions  and 
the  directions  of  General  Rosecrans.  To  prevent  any  possible  misun- 
derstanding, he  was  directed  to  report  to  you  and  the  Commanding 
General.  He  is,  while  in  your  State,  your  subordinate,  bound  to  follow 
your  directions,  and  may  be  relieved  by  you  whenever  his  action  is 


124  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

deemed  .by  you  prejudicial.  Upon  your  judgment  in  matters  relating 
to  the  State  of  which  you  are  Governor*  the  Department  relies  in  re- 
spect to  whatever  relates  to  the  people,  whether  white  or  black,  bond 
or  free.  No  officers  of  Colored  troops  will  be  appointed  but  in  accord- 
ance with  your  views  as  the  Chief  State  Executive.  If  Major  Stearns 
can  be  of  no  aid,  and  his  presence  is  obnoxious,  he  will  of  course  be 
removed,  whether  relieved  by  you  or  not. 

"EDWIN  M.  STANTON, 

"  Secretary  of  War." 

"War  Department,  September  18, 1803. 
"Major  Stearns,  Nashville : 

"  If  any  difference  of  opinion  exists  or  shall  arise  between  Governor 
Johnson  and  yourself  respecting  the  organization  and  employment  of 
Colored  men  in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  he  being  the  State  Executive, 
you  will  conform  your  action  to  his  views.  All  dissension  is  to  be 
avoided,  and  if  there  is  any  want  of  harmony  between  you,  you  had 
better  leave  Nashville  and  proceed  to  Cairo  to  await  orders,  reporting 
by  telegraph  your  departure  from  Nashville  and  your  arrival  at  Cairo. 

"Eowm  M.  STANTON, 

"  Secretary  of  War." 

He  was  not  sustained  by  the  War  Department  in  his 
methods,  and  in  December,  1863,  resigned.  The  work 
was  continued  under  the  temporary  care  of  Captain  K. 
D.  Mussey,  who  was  subsequently — June  14,  1864 — ap- 
pointed colonel  of  the  One  Hundredth  Regiment  of 
"  United  States  Colored  Troops." 

In  December,  1863,  Colonel  Augustus  L.  Chetlain  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general  of  volunteers. 
Colonel  Chetlain  had  entered  the  war  as  captain  of  a 
company  which  he  had  assisted  in  raising  at  Galena,  Il- 
linois. On  the  2d  of  May,  1861,  he  was  appointed  lieu- 
tenant-colonel of  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  "won 
his  spurs"  and  the  command  of  the  regiment  at  Fort 
Donelson.  General  Grant  had  known  him  well,  and  upon 
his  promotion  to  a  brigadier-generalship,  urged  his  ap- 
pointment, upon  the  ground  of  his  special  fitness,  as  chief 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         125 

of  the  recruitment  and  organization  of  Negro  troops  in 
Tennessee. 

The  following  order  from  the  War  Department  as- 
signed him  to  special  work  : 

"  Nashville,  Tennessee,  February  6, 1864. 
"Special  Orders  No.  14  [Extract]. 

"II.  ...  Brigadier-general  Augustus  L.  Chetlain,  United  States  Vol- 
unteers, is  hereby  assigned  to  the  command  of  all  the  Colored  Troops 
now  in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  that  may  hereafter  be  raised  and 
stationed  in  that  State.  He  will  locate  his  Headquarters  in  the  city  of 
Memphis. 

"  The  Officers  superintending  the  organization  of  Colored  Troops  in 
Tennessee  will  report  to  Brigadier-general  Chetlain,  weekly,  the  result 
of  their  operations.  Commanders  of  Regiments  and  Detachments  of 
Troops  of  African  Descent  will  furnish  the  General  regular  Regimental 
returns  of  their  commands  on  the  last  day  of  every  month,  and  in 
like  manner  General  Chetlain  will  forward  a  complete  return  of  his 
command  monthly  to  Brigadier-general  L.  Thomas,  U.S.A.,  at  Vicks- 
burg,  Mississippi.  Nominations  for  appointments  in  Regiments  already 
organized  will  be  forwarded  through  General  Chetlain  to  the  above- 
named  officer.  .  .  . 

"By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

"  L.  THOMAS, 

"  Adjutant-general." 

In  a  conversation  with  General  Grant,  just  before  the 
publication  of  the  above  order,  General  Chetlain  was  given 
to  understand  that  the  work  he  was  about  to  undertake 
would  be  arduous,  and  in  some  respects  unpleasant.  "  But," 
continued  General  Grant, "if  you  make  a  success  of  it,  as 
YOU  can,  it  will  be  greatly  to  your  credit." 

General  Grant  had  not  made  a  mistake  in  the  selection 
of  General  Chetlain  for  a  work  that  \vas  not  only  novel, 
but  by  some  considered  odious — a  work  that  demanded 
patriotism,  zeal,  large  humanity,  and  an  unfaltering  confi- 
dence in  the  Negro. 

General  Chetlain  established  his  headquarters  at  Mem- 


126  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

phis,  and  began  the  recruiting  of  Negro  troops  with  con- 
spicuous ability.  On  the  13th  of  June,  1864,  in  General 
Orders  No.  20,  the  sphere  of  his  influence  was  extended 
in  some  proportion  to  his  abilities,  and  he  was  charged 
with  similar  work  in  the  State  of  Kentucky.  The  order 
concluded  as  follows : 

"  Brigadier  -  general  A.  L.  Chetlain,  United  States  Volunteers,  is 
charged  with  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  organization  of  Colored 
Troops  in  Kentucky,  as  authorized  herein,  subject  to  such  instructions 
as  he  may  receive  from  Brigadier-general  L.  Thomas,  Adjutant-gen- 
eral United  States  Army. 

"The  assignment  of  Brigadier-general  Chetlain  to  this  duty  will  in 
no  way  interfere  with  his  present  position  as  commander  of  the  Col- 
ored Troops  in  West  Tennessee. 

"General  Chetlain  will  establish  his  headquarters  without  delay  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky. 

"All  commanders  in  Kentucky  will  afford  General  Chetlain  every 
facility  for  carrying  out  the  instructions  contained  in  this  order. 

"As  early  as  possible,  Colored  Troops  will  be  used  by  General  Chet- 
lain for  recruiting  purposes,  and  will  be  distributed  among  the  differ- 
ent camps  of  reception. 

"By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

"L.  THOMAS, 

"  Adjutant-general. " 

A  high  standard  of  physical,  mental,  and  moral  excel- 
lence was  required  of  persons  seeking  commands  in  or- 
ganizations of  this  character.  The  records  show  that  not 
more  than  one-third  of  the  applicants  before  the  boards 
charged  with  examination  of  candidates  for  commissions 
in  Negro  regiments  were  passed.  In  General  Orders 
No.  24,  published  at  Memphis,  December  12, 1864,  among 
many  excellent  things  were  the  following : 

"  No  person  is  wanted  as  an  officer  in  a  Colored  Regiment  who  feels 
that  in  accepting  the  position  he  is  making  a  sacrifice,  or  who  desires 
appointment  simply  for  higher  rank  and  pay — it  being  the  aim  of  those 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         127 

having  charge  of  the  organization  of  Colored  Troops  to  have  them  offi- 
cered, drilled,  and  disciplined  equal  to  the  best  of  white  troops. 

"Colored  troops  will,  without  doubt,  form  a  large  portion  of  the 
permanent  army  of  the  United  States,  and  it  should  be  the  aim  of 
every  officer  to  fit  himself  and  men  for  such  an  honorable  position. 

"Up  to  the  date  of  this  order  the  record  of  Colored  Troops  in  battle 
and  campaign  is  untarnished.  Their  stubborn  bravery  and  gallant 
conduct  has  gained  for  them  the  respect  even  of  bitter  and  prejudiced 
enemies,  and  given  to  their  organization  that  dignity  and  stability  which 
the  faithful  and  fearless  performance  of  duty  will  never  fail  to  secure. 

"It  can  but  be  an  honor  to  any  man  to  command  in  a  service  which, 
while  it  gives  liberty  to  slaves  and  manhood  to  chattels,  furnishes  reli- 
able and  efficient  soldiers  for  the  Union. 

"By  order  of  Brigadier-general  A.  L.  Chetlain. 

"CHARLES  P.' BROWN, 

Official.  "Assistant  Adjutant-general." 

Eight  months  of  the  most  heroic  and  indefatigable  la- 
bor were  bestowed  upon  the  great  enterprise  of  securing 
black  levies  for  the  United  States  Army. 

General  Chetlain  made  a  tour  of  inspection  in  which 
he  must  have  found  great  satisfaction  in  examining  the 
work  which  he  had  inaugurated.  The  regiments  organ- 
ized and  inspected  by  General  Chetlain  were  as  follows : 

KENTUCKY. 

At  Louisville. 

Fourth  Regiment  Heavy  Artillery :  from  June  16  to  April  19,  1863 ; 
Colonel  James  N.  McArthur. 

One  Hundredth  Regiment  Infantry  [at  large]:  from  May  3  to  June  1, 
1864;  Colonel  Reuben  D.  Mussey. 

One  Hundred  and  Seventh  Regiment  Infantry :  from  May  3  to  Sep- 
tember 15, 1864;  Colonel  William  H.  Revere,  Jr. 

One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Regiment  Infantry :  from  June  20  to  Au- 
gust 22, 1864;  Colonel  John  S.  Bishop. 

One  Hundred  and  Ninth  Regiment  Infantry:  on  July  5, 1864;  Colonel 
Orion  A.  Bartholomew. 

[Besides  the  above  regiments  there  were  nearly  three  thousand  sol- 
diers partly  organized  whose  officers  had  not  yet  been  appointed.] 


128  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

TENNESSEE. 

At  Nashville. 

Twelfth  Regiment  Infantry:  from  July  24  to  August  14, 1863;  Colonel 
Charles  R.  Thompson. 

Thirteenth  Regiment  Infantry:  on  November  19, 1863;  Colonel  John 
A.  Hottenstein. 

Fifteenth  Regiment  Infantry :  from  December  2,  1863,  to  March  11, 

1864;  Colonel  William  Innes. 
Sixteenth  Regiment  Infantry :  from  December  4, 1863,  to  February  13, 

1864;  Colonel  William  B.  Gaw. 

Seventeenth  Regiment  Infantry:  from  December  12  to  21, 1863;  Colo- 
nel William  R.  Shaf  ter. 

At  Chattanooga. 

Forty-second  Regiment  Infantry:  from  April  20, 1864,  to  July  6, 1865; 

Lieutenant-colonel  J.  R.  Putnam. 
Forty- fourth  Regiment  Infantry:  from  April  7  to  September  16, 1864; 

Colonel  Lewis  Johnson. 

At  Pulaski. 
One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment  Infantry :  from  November  20, 1863, 

to  January  14, 1864;  Lieutenant-colonel  Dedrick  F.Tiedemann. 

One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment  Infantry :  from  January  13  to 
April  5, 1864;  Lieutenant-colonel  William  H.  Scroggs. 

At  Oallatin. 

Fourteenth  Regiment  Infantry:  from  November  16,  1863,  to  January 
8, 1864;  Colonel  Thomas  J.  Morgan. 

At  La  Grange. 

Fifty-ninth  Regiment  Infantry:  from  June  6  to  27, 1863;  Colonel  Ed- 
ward Bouton. 

Iii  January,  1865,  General  Chetlain  had  under  his  com- 
mand 17,000  Negro  troops,  while  his  tour  of  inspection 
was  not  entirely  confined  to  troops  of  this  character  in 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  His  work  in  the  organization 
of  Negro  troops  is  without  parallel  in  the  late  war,  and 
his  services  were  rewarded  by  a  brevet  major-generalship. 
The  Adjutant  -general  of  the  Army,  in  his  report  to  the 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  129 

"War  Department  in  the  summer  of  1865,  made  the  fol- 
lowing recognition  of  the  services  of  General  Chetlain  : 

"Brigadier-general  Chetlain  reported  to  me,  and  I  as- 
signed him  as  superintendent  of  the  recruiting  service 
in  Tennessee.  He  proved  a  most  valuable  officer,  for  I 
found  him  to  possess  both  intelligence  and  zeal,  with,  a 
rare  qualification  for  the  organization  of  troops.  He  never 
failed  in  any  duty  he  was  assigned,  either  as  superintend- 
ent or  as  an  inspector,  to  which  latter  duty  I  assigned  him, 
and  I  am  gratified  that  he  was  subsequently  rewarded  by 
a  brevet  major-general." 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1864,  in  Special  Orders  No.  18, 
Lieutenant-colonel  Thomas  J.  Morgan,  of  the  Fourteenth 
United  States  Colored  Troops,  stationed  at  Gallatin,  Ten- 
nessee, was  ordered  to  Knoxville  to  consult  with  General 
Davis  Tillson  as  to  raising  a  regiment  of  heavy  artillery. 
Under  date  of  February  3, 1864,  from  Chattanooga,  Colo- 
nel Morgan  reported  the  result  of  his  visit ;  and  referring 
to  the  feeling  in  the  army  respecting  the  military  employ- 
ment of  Negroes,  he  wrote : 

"  There  is  an  excellent  state  of  feeling  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Ohio  touching  colored  troops.  General  Till- 
son and  staff,  General  Cox,  commanding  Twenty -third 
North  Carolina,  General  ffaskett,  commanding  divisions 
in  Twenty-third  Artillery  Corps,  and  others  high  in  rank, 
are  warm  friends  of  the  move.  The  officers  and  men  of 
the  Ninth  Artillery  Corps  look  with  favor  upon  it,  and 
many  excellent  men  are  asking  positions  in  the  regiments 
now  being  formed.  Commissioned  officers  of  old  regi- 
ments are  asking  to  be  transferred  with  same  rank  from 
white  regiments  to  the  black  ones." 

Perhaps  there  was  not  a  finer  specimen  of  a  Christian 
soldier  in  the  Western  army  than  Thomas  J.  Morgan.  He 
had  enjoyed  academic  training,  was  "deeply  religious,  and 
9 


130  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

entertained  positive  ideas  respecting  the  war  and  the  Ne- 
gro. A  sort  of  spiritual  valor  marked  all  his  actions.  He 
reversed  the  Napoleonic  idea  that  soldiers  should  be  sim- 
ply machines,  and  that  the  officers  should  do  all  the  think- 
ing. He  cared  for  the  moral  and  intellectual  growth  as 
well  as  the  improvement  his  men  made  in  drill  and  the 
duties  of  soldiership.  He  strove  to  make  every  man  an 
intelligent  unit.  His  views  were  grateful  to  the  men  un- 
der his  immediate  command,  and  were  highly  appreciated 
by  such  general  officers  as  at  that  time  comprehended  the 
questions  involved  in  the  war.  It  was  natural  that,  in 
looking  for  an  officer  to  gather,  by  truth  and  personal 
magnetism,  Negro  recruits  about  the  standards  of  the 
Union,  General  George  H.  Thomas  should  choose  Colonel 
Morgan.  The  following  order  was  issued  placing  him  in 
charge  of  the  recruiting  of  Negro  troops  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Cumberland : 

"  Headquarters  Department  of  the  Cumberland, 

"  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  February  29, 1864. 
"  General  Orders  No.  39. 

"  The  raising  of  two  Regiments  of  Infantry  of  African  descent  will  be 
commenced  at  this  place  without  delay,  under  the  direction  of  Colonel 
T.  J.  Morgan,  commanding  Fourteenth  United  States  Colored  Troops. 

"Colonel  Morgan  will  receive  all  recruits  enlisted  by  Mr.  J.  A. 
Spooner,  agent  for  recruiting  of  Colored  Troops,  as  well  as  those  re- 
cruited at  such  other  stations  as  he  may  establish,  and  organize  them 
into  companies  under  command  of  the  officers  of  his  regiment,  until 
officers  are  appointed. 

"  One  of  these  Regiments  will  be  composed  of  such  men  only  as  can 
pass  the  physical  examination  required  of  all  men  enlisting  in  the  mili- 
tary service  of  the  United  States.  The  other  will  be  composed  of  the 
classes  of  colored  men  capable  of  performing  the  ordinary  fatigue  du- 
ties of  a  military  depot;  and  as  soon  as  companies  are  organized  they 
will  be  subject  to  such  details  for  fatigue  duty  as  the  Commanding 
General  of  the  Department  may  direct. 

"  William  W.  Wright,  Chief  Engineer  United  States  Military  Rail- 
road Division  of  Mississippi,  has  been  appointed  Colonel  of  the  second 
regiment  named  above. 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  131 

"  The  Major-general  commanding  the  Department  will  nominate  for 
appointment  the  additional  field  and  staff  officers,  selecting  such  as  he 
may  deem  best  fitted  for  the  service.     Their  names  will  be  reported  to 
the  Bureau  of  Colored  Troops  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  through  Captain 
R.  D.  Mussey,  Nineteenth  United   States  Infantry,  Acting  Commis- 
sioner Organizing  United  States  Colored  Troops,  when  the  appoint- 
ments will  be  forwarded  and  the  regiments  receive  their  designations. 
"  The  Quartermaster's  Commissary  and  Ordnance  Departments  will 
fill  Colonel  Morgan's  requisitions  for  necessary  stores. 
"By  command  of  Major-general  Thomas.  t 

(Signed)  "  WILLIAM  D.  WHIPPLE, 

' '  Ass't.  Adjutant-general. 
"  Headquarters  Org'n  U.  S.  Colored  Troops, 

"Chattanooga,  Teiin.,  March  4, 1864. 
Official.  "  THOMAS  J.  MORGAN, 

"Colonel  14th  U.  S.  C.  T.,  Com'r  for  Org'n'g  C.  T." 

Colonel  Morgan's  service  in  this  new  sphere  was  valua- 
ble, and  the  Department  commander  made  appropriate 
recognition  of  it. 

Henry  Barnes,  Esq.,  an  intelligent  and  patriotic  citizen 
of  Detroit,  Michigan,  was  an  early  and  enthusiastic  advo- 
cate of  the  military  employment  of  Negroes.  He  wrote 
Secretary  Stanton  upon  the  subject  in  July,  1863,  and  the 
following  letter  was  addressed  to  the  Governor  of  Michi- 
gan. Its  spirit  shows  how  deeply  interested  in  this  mat- 
ter was  the  great  War  Secretary : 

"  War  Department,  Washington,  July  24, 1863. 

"GOVERNOR, — H.  Barnes,  Esq.,  of  Detroit,  has  applied  to  this  De- 
partment for  authority  to  raise  a  regiment  of  Colored  troops  in  your 
State.  The  Department  is  very  anxious  that  such  regiments  should  be 
raised,  and  authorizes  you  to  raise  them  by  volunteering  under  the 
regulations  of  the  Department,  a  copy  of  which  is  transmitted  to  you 
by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau,  and  it  would  be  gratifying  if  you  should 
give  such  authority  to  Mr.  Barnes.  It  seems  to  me  that  there  has  been 
some  misunderstanding  upon  this  subject,  and  I  am  informed  that  you 
were  under  the  impression  that  the  Department  would  not  authorize 
it.  Until  suitable  arrangements  could  be  made  for  the  organization  of 
a  Bureau,  it  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  raise  such  troops,  but  the  or- 
ganization of  Colored  troops  is  now  a  distinct  Bureau  in  the  Depart- 


132  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

meat,  and  as  fully  recognized  as  any  other  branch  of  the  military  serv- 
ice, and  every  encouragement  is  given  by  the  Department  to  the 
raising  of  such  troops.  Yours  truly, 

"EDWIN  M.  ST ANTON, 

"  Secretary  of  War. 
"His  Excellency,  AUSTIN  BLAIR,  Governor  of  Michigan,  Jackson." 

The  following  letter  of  authority  for  the  enlistment  of 
Negro  troops  was  sent  to  the  governors  of  Michigan,  Il- 
linois, and  to  other  governors  who  desired  to  raise  regi- 
ments of  this  character : 

"War  Department,  Adjutant-general's  Office, 

"  Washington,  D.  C.,July  25, 1863. 
"  His  Excellency,  Austin  Blair,  Governor  of  Michigan,  Jackson,  Mich. : 

"  SIR, — I  am  instructed  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  inform  you  that 
you  are  hereby  authorized  to  raise  one  regiment  of  infantry,  to  be  com- 
posed of  Colored  men,  to  be  mustered  into  the  United  States  service 
for  three  years  or  during  the  war. 

"To  these  troops  no  bounties  will  be  paid.  They  will  receive  ten 
dollars  per  month  and  one  ration  per  day,  three  dollars  of  which 
monthly  pay  may  be  in  clothing. 

"The  organization  of  the  regiment  must  conform  in  all  respects 
with  the  requirements  of  General  Orders  No.  110,  War  Department, 
1863,  a  copy  of  which  is  herewith. 

"  The  prescribed  number  of  commissioned  officers  will  be  appointed 
in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  General  Orders  Nos.  143  and  144, 
War  Department,  current  series,  copies  of  which  please  find  inclosed. 
The  officers  thus  appointed  will  be  mustered  into  service  on  the  pres- 
entation to  the  mustering  officer  of  their  appointments,  signed  by  the 
Secretary  of  War.  The  appointments  will  be  made  to  keep  pace 
with  the  muster  into  service  of  the  several  companies.  Thus,  on  in- 
formation being  received  from  you  that  the  first  has  been  mustered 
into  service,  the  necessary  appointments  for  that  company  will  be 
made.  When  four  companies  have  been  mustered  in,  the  Lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  regiment  will  be  appointed,  and  so  on  in  accordance 
with  the  'Revised  Mustering  Regulations.' 

"To  facilitate  the  appointment  of  the  officers,  it  is  respectfully  sug- 
gested that  it  would  be  well  to  forward  to  the  Adjutant-general  of  the 
army,  as  early  as  practicable,  the  names  of  such  persons  as  you  wish  to 
have  examined  for  appointment,  and  permission  will  be  immediately 
given  them  to  appear  before  the  examining  board  now  in  session  in 


IN   THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  133 

Cincinnati,  or  the  board  in  session  in  Washington,  if  more  convenient 
for  the  parties. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"C.  W.FOSTER, 
"Assistant  Adjutant-general." 

Mr.  Barnes  was  duly  authorized  to  raise  a  regiment  of 
Negro  volunteers  on  the  12th  of  August,  1863,  and  on 
the  17th  of  February,  1864,  a  regiment,  895  strong,  was 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States.  From 
the  "  First  Michigan  Colored  Infantry "  its  designation 
was  changed  to  the  "One  Hundred  and  Second  United 
States  Colored  Troops." 

On  the  24th  of  September,  1863,  the  War  Department 
authorized  Governor  Richard  Yates,  of  Illinois,  to  raise 
"one  regiment  infantry,"  to  be  composed  of  Negroes; 
and  on  the  26th  of  October,  1863,  he  issued  General  Or- 
der No.  44,  setting  forth  the  fact  that  he  had  received 
authority  to  raise  a  regiment  of  Negro  volunteers,  and 
giving  information  respecting  the  modus  operandi.  Six 
companies  were  mustered  into  the  United  States  Army 
on  the  24th  of  April,  1864;  the  other  four  companies 
were  raised  in  the  field  from  the  22d  of  October,  1864, 
to  the  month  of  January,  1865.  This  was  the  only  regi- 
ment of  Negro  troops  raised  by  Illinois.  Its  first  desig- 
nation was  "  Ifirst  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers ;"  but  it 
was  subsequently  changed  to  the  "  Twenty-ninth  United 
States  Colored  Troops." 

Governor  David  Tod,  of  Ohio,  had  insisted  from  the 
first  that  Negro  troops  should  receive  the  same  pay  and 
bounty  as  other  troops,  and  waited  for  the  Government 
to  change  its  attitude  on  this  matter.  In  the  mean  time, 
however,  he  encouraged  the  recruitment  of  colored 
troops  in  Ohio  for  Massachusetts.  Mr.  O.  S.  B.  Wall,  a 
citizen  of  Oberlin,  had  recruited  colored  troops  in  Ohio 


134:  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

under  the  direction  of  Major  Stearns,  who  had  his  head- 
quarters at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  On  the  morning  of  the  15th 
of  June,  1863,  a  squad  of  forty-eight  recruits,  headed  by 
Powhatan  Beaty,  arrived  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  reported 
to  Mr.  "Wall  to  be  forwarded  to  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
Just  before  the  men  arrived  he  received  a  telegram  from 
Major  Stearns  announcing  that  the  Massachusetts  regi- 
ments were  full,  and  instructed  him  to  send  forward  no 
more  recruits.  He  distributed  his  recruits  among  the  hos- 
pitable colored  citizens  of  Columbus,  and  immediately  re- 
paired to  the  State  House  to  secure  an  interview  with  the 
Governor.  He  explained  his  dilemma ;  that  he  had  forty- 
eight  recruits  on  his  hands  whom  he  had  promised  to  put 
in  Massachusetts  regiments,  and  besought  the  Governor  to 
accept  them  as  a  nucleus  of  a  colored  regiment  to  be  raised 
by  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  Governor  explained  that  he 
had  urged  Stanton  to  accept  a  regiment  of  soldiers  of  this 
character  from  Ohio,  but  that  thus  far  his  efforts  had  been 
unavailing.  However,  he  promised  Wall  to  try  the  De- 
partment once  more,  and  requested  him  to  call  the  next 
morning  for  an  answer. 

On  the  morning  of  June  16th  the  War  Department 
telegraphed  its  consent  and  authority  for  the  raising  of 
a  regiment  of  colored  troops  by  the  State  of  Ohio,  and 
Governor  Tod  communicated  this  good  news  to  Mr.  Wall, 
and  sent  him  forward  at  the  head  of  his  recruits  to  locate 
them  in  the  rendezvous  known  as  Camp  Delaware,  but 
which,  at  this  time,  was  not  occupied  by  white  troops. 
Two  days  later  the  Governor  issued  the  following  letter  of 
instructions  respecting  the  recruitment  of  colored  troops : 

"  Columbus,  Ohio,  June  18, 1863. 
"  To  Capt.  Lewis  McCoy,  Present: 

"  SLR, — Having  been  assigned  to  me  for  duty  by  General  Mason,  I 
direct  that  you  proceed  without  delay  to  Camp  Delaware,  and  there 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         135 

take  the  general  charge  and  supervision  of  the  recruits  for  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty  -  seventh  O.  V.  I.  (colored)  until  further  or- 
dered. You  will  make  such  requisitions  upon  Quartermaster  Burr 
and  Commissioner  Harrington  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  effi- 
ciency and  comfort  of  the  troops.  Report  to  me  from  time  to 
time  the  progress  you  make. 

"Respectfully  yours, 

"DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 

The  work  of  recruiting  colored  troops  in  Ohio  went 
forward  with  great  intelligence  and  zeal,  until  two  regi- 
ments had  been  recruited  and  forwarded  to  the  field. 

On  the  19th  of  November,  1863,  the  "War  Department 
authorized  the  Governor  of  Connecticut  to  raise  a  regi- 
ment to  be  designated  as  the  "Twenty-ninth  Regiment 
Connecticut  Volunteers"  (colored),  to  serve  three  years, 
or  during  the  war;  on  the  23d  of  November,  in  General 
Orders  No.  17,  the  work  of  recruiting  this  regiment  was 
officially  begun  at  Hartford. 

This  regiment  made  a  splendid  reputation,  losing  nine- 
teen enlisted  men  killed,  two  officers  wounded,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one  enlisted  men  wounded,  one  enlisted 
man  missing,  making  the  total  casualties  one  hundred  and 
forty-three. 

On  the  12th  of  January,  1864,  in  General  Orders.  No.  1, 
the  Governor  of  Connecticut  began  the  organization  of 
another  regiment  of  Negro  troops,  designated  as  the 
"  Thirtieth  Regiment  Connecticut  Volunteers  "  (colored). 
This  regiment  lost  in  the  field  one  officer  killed  ;  enlisted 
men,  thirteen ;  wounded,  one  officer ;  wounded,  enlisted 
men,  thirty-five ;  missing,  one  officer ;  missing,  enlisted 
men,  twenty-five,  making  the  total  casualties  seventy-six. 
The  whole  number  of  colored  volunteers  furnished  by 
Connecticut  was  1,664,  although  the  War  Department 
makes  it  a  thousand  more. 

The  War  Department  gave  authority  to  the  Governor 


136  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

of  Indiana  to  raise  a  regiment  composed  of  Negroes  on 
the  30th  of  November,  1863.  The  regiment  raised  was 
designated  as  the  "  Twenty-eighth  Regiment,"  and  was 
complete  by  the  31st  of  March,  1864.  It  served  with 
distinction  in  the  Army  of  the  James. 

In  Maryland  and  Yirginia,  North  and  South  Carolina, 
and  throughout  the  entire  South,  wherever  the  Union 
arms  had  penetrated,  the  indefatigable  Adjutant-general 
of  the  Army  had  his  agents  welcoming  the  Negroes  with- 
in the  Federal  lines,  and  offering  them  the  uniform  of  a 
Union  soldier.  From  the  time  the  Bureau  for  the  Organ- 
ization of  Colored  Troops  was  opened,  in  May,  until 
December,  1863,  over  100,000  Negroes  had  been  recruit- 
ed, and  it  was  estimated  that* a  force  of  50,000  of  them 
was  armed,  equipped,  and  in  the  field.  Two  noble  spirits 
triumphed  in  this  great  work,  and  the  American  people 
owe  them  a  debt  of  imperishable  gratitude.  It  matters 
not  who  doubted,  faltered,  or  fell  back,  Edwin  M.  Stanton, 
Secretary  of  War,  and  Lorenzo  Thomas,  Adjutant-general 
of  the  Army,  kept  their  faces  to  the  front.  They  never 
turned  aside  for  doubters,  but  held  to  the  policy  of  arm- 
ing Negroes,  until  it  was  crowned  with  glorious  suc- 
cess. These  Negro  troops  were  General  Thomas's  pets, 
his  children,  and  whenever  the  shock  of  their  embat- 
tled arms  leaped  o'er  the  wires  his  heart  thrilled  with 
pride. 

Not  only  had  Negroes  been  accepted  as  volunteers,  they 
had  been  included  under  the  "  Enrolment  Act,"  and  were 
accordingly  drafted.  Of  course,  Negroes  were  not  includ- 
ed in  the  first  call  for  volunteers  on  the  15th  of  April, 
1861,  nor  in  the  other  calls  that  preceded  the  Conscrip- 
tion Act  of  March  3,  1863.  The  Negro  was  not  men- 
tioned in  this  Act,  but  the  War  Department  held  that  he 
was  included  in  its  provisions.  On  the  17th  of  October, 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  137 

1863,  a  call  was  made  for  300,000  volunteers,  to  serve  for 
three  years,  or  to  the  end  of  the  war.     They  were  to  take 
the  places  of  troops  whose  term  of  service  was  draw- 
ing to  a  close ;  and  this  was  supplemental  to  the  draft 
that  was  in  operation  at  the  time.   In  all  States  that  should 
fail  to  furnish  their  quota  of  men  by  the  5th  of  January, 

1864,  a  draft  was  ordered  for  that  day.     Under  this  Act 
the  Negro  was  liable  to  be  called  into  military  service. 
On  the  first  of  February,  1864,  a  draft  for  500,000  men, 
to  serve  three  years,  was  ordered  for  March  10,  1864 ; 
and  on  the  14th  of  March,  1864,  a  draft  for  200,000  men 
additional  for  the  army  and  marine  corps  was  ordered  for 
the  15th  of  April,  1864.     Under  both  of  these  drafts  the 
Negro  was  apparently  included.    But  the  Act  of  February 
24,  1864,  equalizing  the  draft  by  calculating  the  quota 
of  each  district  or  precinct,  and  counting  the  number  pre- 
viously furnished  by  it,  made  special  provisions  for  en- 
rolment of  Negroes.     It  provided  that  "All  able-bodied 
male  Colored  persons,  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and 
forty-five  years,  resident  in  the  United  States,  shall  be  en- 
rolled according  to  the  provisions  of  this  act,  and  of  the 
act  to  which  this  is  an  amendment,  and  form  part  of  the 
national  forces;  and  when  a  slave  of  a  loyal  master  shall 
be  drafted  and  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States,  his  master  shall  have  a  certificate  therefor ;  and 
thereupon  such  slaves  shall  be  free,  and  the  bounty  of 
one  hundred  dollars,  now  payable  by  law  for  each  drafted 
man,  shall  be  paid  to  the  person  to  whom  such  drafted 
person  was  owing  service  or  labor  at  the  time  of  his  mus- 
ter into  the  service  of  the  United  States.     The  Secretary 
of  War  shall  appoint  a  commission  in  each  of  the  slave 
States  represented  in  Congress,  charged  to  award  to  each 
loyal  person  to  whom  a  Colored  volunteer  may  owe  serv- 
ice a  just   compensation,  not  exceeding  three  hundred 


138  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

dollars,  for  each  such  Colored  volunteer,  payable  out  of 
the  fund  derived  from  commutations,  and  every  such  Col- 
ored volunteer,  on  being  mustered  into  the  service,  shall 
be  free.  And  in  all  cases  where  men  of  color  have  been 
enlisted,  or  have  volunteered  in  the  military  service  of 
the  United  States,  all  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  so  far 
as  the  payment  of  bounty  and  compensation  are  provid- 
ed, shall  be  equally  applicable  as  to  those  who  may  be 
hereafter  recruited.  But  men  of  color,  drafted  or  enlist- 
ed, or  who  may  volunteer  into  the  military  service,  while 
they  shall  be  credited  on  the  quotas  of  the  several  States, 
or  subdivisions  of  States,  wherein  they  are  respectively 
drafted,  enlisted,  or  shall  volunteer,  shall  not  be  assigned 
as  State  troops,  but  shall  be  mustered  into  regiments  or 
companies  as  United  States  Colored  Troops." 

Long  before  the  above  Act  became  a  law,  on  the  20th 
of  August,  1863,  Judge  Advocate  Holt,  in  an  elaborate 
and  able  opinion  upon  the  legality  of  the  employment  of 
the  Negro  as  a  soldier,  said :  "  In  the  interpretation  given 
to  the  Enrolment  Act,  free  citizens  of  African  Descent 
are  treated  as  citizens  of  the  United  States,  in  the  sense 
of  the  law,  and  are  everywhere  being  drafted  into  the 
military  service." 

As  far  as  the  enlistment  of  slaves  was  concerned,  the 
Judge  Advocate  held  that  the  Government  could  accept 
them  upon  two  grounds:  First,  as  property  ;  and  second, 
as  persons.  He  cited  the  fact  that  both  the  organic  law 
and  usages  of  the  Government  justified  the  appropriation 
of  private  property  to  the  public  use  on  making  compen- 
sation therefor.  As  to  the  second  ground,  he  held  that 
while  persons  of  African  descent  were,  under  the  laws  of 
several  States,  recognized  as  property,  nevertheless,  under 
the  Constitution  and  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  they  were 
regarded  as  "  persons." 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        139 

"  The  obligations  of  all  persons — irrespective  of  creed 
or  color — to  bear  arras,"  the  Judge  Advocate  maintained, 
"  if  physically  capable  of  doing  so,  in  defence  of  the  Gov- 
ernment under  which  they  live  and  by  which  they  are 
protected,  is  one  that  is  universally  acknowledged  and  en- 
forced. Corresponding  to  this  obligation  is  the  duty  rest- 
ing on  those  charged  with  the  administration  of  the  Gov- 
ernment to  employ  such  persons  in  the  military  service 
whenever  the  public  safety  may  demand  it." 

But  there  was  already,  as  has  been  shown,  ample  law 
for  the  military  employment  of  Negroes  under  the  Act 
of  July  17,  1862,  which  empowered  the  President  to 
receive  into  the  military  and  naval  service  "  persons  of 
African  Descent."  The  Negroes,  both  bond  and  free, 
had  been  invited  by  the  Government  to  share  the  perils 
and  honors  of  civil  war;  it  was  now  seen  to  be  a  war 
about  them,  and  was  gradually  becoming  a  war  for  them. 
The  policy  of  arming  the  Negroes  was  now  fully  estab- 
lished, and  the  earnestness  of  the  Government  was  only 
equalled  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  host  of  Negro  volun- 
teers that  rallied  to  the  call  for  defenders  of  the  Amer- 
ican republic.  The  following  corrected  return  exhibits 
the  number  of  Negro  troops  in  the  Union  Army  during 
the  Civil  War : 

Number  of  Negro  Troops  furnished  by  the  States  and  Territories  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War. 

Connecticut 1,764 

Delaware 954 

District  of  Columbia 3,269 

Illinois 1,811 

Indiana 1,537 

Iowa 440 

Kansas. 2, 080 

Kentucky 23,703 

Carried  forward 35,558 


140  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Brought  forward 35,558 

Maine : 104 

Maryland 8,718 

Massachusetts   3,966 

Michigan 1,387 

Minnesota 104 

Missouri 8,344 

New  Hampshire 125 

New  Jersey 1,185 

New  York 4,125 

Ohio 5,092 

Pennsylvania 8,612 

Rhode  Island 1,837 

Vermont 120 

West  Virginia 196 

Wisconsin 165 

Not  credited  to  any  State 99,337 

Total 178,975 

The  Negro  Soldiers  organized  under  the  direct  Authority  of  the  General 
Government,  and  not  credited  to  any  State,  were  recruited  as  follows : 

Alabama 4,969 

Arkansas 5,526 

Colorado 95 

Florida 1 ,044 

Georgia 3, 486 

Louisiana 24,052 

Mississippi 17,869 

North  Carolina 5,035 

South  Carolina 5,462 

Tennessee 20, 133 

Texas 47 

Virginia 5, 723 

Enlisted  at  large 5,896 

Total 99,337 

Grand  total 178,975 

Of  the  number  of  colored  troops  credited  to  the  States, 

5,052  were  obtained  under  the  provisions  of  section  3  Act 
of  Congress  approved  July  4,  1864,  from  the  States  that 
had  seceded. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         141 

(JThis  was  the  largest  force  of  civilized  Negroes  ever 
armed  and  marshalled  for  the  field.  It  was  without  par- 
allel in  the  world's  history — ancient  or  modern,  Pagan  or 
Christian  ;  it  was  unique.  There  was  a  touch  of  poetic 
justice  in  the  sight  —  this  army  of  ex-slaves  who  were 
eager  to  establish  their  freedom  and  vindicate  their  man- 
hood. 

The  number  of  Negroes  who  held  commissions  as  offi- 
cers in  the  United  States  Volunteer  Army  during  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion  was  not  considerable.  The  strong 
doubt  that  existed  as  to  the  Negro's  qualifications  for  mil- 
itary life  made  it  difficult  for  persons  of  that  race  to  se- 
cure commissions.  But  Massachusetts  took  the  initiative, 
and  commissioned  at  least  ten  colored  officers,  and  Kansas 
three,  while  two  regiments  of  the  Corps  d'Afrique,  raised 
by  Generals  Butler  and  Banks,  were  almost  entirely  offi- 
cered by  colored  men.  The  precise  number  is  not  even 
known  by  the  War  Department,  but  there  were  at  least 
§e.venty-five^colored  men  who  bore  commissions  in  the 
Department  of  the  Gulf  for  a  short  period  of  time. 
Lieutenant-colonel  William  N.  Reed,  of  the  First  North 
Carolina  (Thirty  -  fifth),  was  supposed  by  the  officers  of 
his  regiment  and  other  persons  to  be  of  Negro  blood. 
He  was  educated  in  Germany,  and  was  a  splendid  soldier. 
He  commanded  his  regiment  at  the  battle  of  Olustee, 
Florida,  and  he  is  reported  as  having  led  it  into  action  in 
a  most  gallant  manner;  so  great  was  the  impression  of 
his  soldiership  made  in  this  engagement  that  those  who 
witnessed  the  inspiring  scene  say  that  a  regiment  was 
never  put  into  action  with  greater  skill.  He  received 
mortal  wounds  in  this  conflict,  and  died  a  few  days  later 
at  Beaufort,  South  Carolina. 

An  independent  battery  raised  at  Leavenworth,  Kansas, 
December  23,  1864,  to  serve  three  years,  was  officered  by 


142  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

colored  men,  as  follows  :  H.  Ford  Douglass,  Captain ;  "W. 
D.  Matthews,  First  Lieutenant ;  Patrick  H.  Minor,  Second 
Lieutenant.  Of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  Regiment 
(U.  S.  C.  T.),  the  major,  Martin  R.  De  Laney,  and  the  cap- 
tain of  Company  K,  O.  S.  B.  Wall,  were  colored  men, 
but  both  were  detailed  in  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 
ment. Major  De  Laney  had  made  something  of  a  reputa- 
tion before  the  war  as  an  anti-slavery  orator,  as  an  African 
explorer,  and  as  an  editor,  and  Captain  Wall  had,  without 
noise  or  ostentation,  done  noble  service  as  a  recruiting 
officer  in  Ohio,  where  he  had  been  a  resident  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  had  been  a  successful  boot  and  shoe 
merchant  at  Oberlin,  Lorain  County,  Ohio,  but  as  soon  as 
colored  troops  were  accepted  he  was  one  of  the  first  men 
to  take  the  field  and  secure  their  enlistment. 

Being  in  Washington  just  after  the  two  colored  regi- 
ments had  been  raised  in  Ohio,  at  Camp  Delaware,  he 
called  upon  the  Postmaster -general,  William  Dennison, 
and  expressed  his  desire  to  serve  his  country  in  any  capac- 
ity. At  a  subsequent  Cabinet  meeting  the  subject  of 
commissioning  colored  officers  was  under  discussion,  when 
ex-Governor  Dennison  turned  to  Secretary  Stanton,  and 
said  that  he  had  a  colored  man  that  he  could  recommend 
for  a  commission  in  the  army.  Secretary  Stanton  said 
that  if  he  had  a  competent  man  he  would  certainly  com- 
mission him.  Mr.  Wall  was  sent  for  and  directed  to  call 
upon  the  Secretary.  As  soon  as  he  had  reached  the  Sec- 
retary's office  at  the  War  Department,  Stanton  turned  to 
him  and  said,  "  Now,  sir,  I  propose  to  make  you  a  cap- 
tain in  the  United  States  Army  by  all  the  powers  of  this 
Government,  and  you  shall  be  entitled  to  and  enjoy  all 
the  emoluments  and  dignity  of  that  position."  Mr.  Wall 
was  directed  to  call  upon  Colonel  Foster,  and  ask  an  ex- 
amination for  the  position  of  captain.  This  was  an  un- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        143 

usual  proceeding,  and  Colonel  Foster  refused  to  examine 
him.  On  learning  this  fact,  the  Secretary  sent  for  Colo- 
nel Foster,  and  asked,  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Wall,  "  Sir, 
did  you  get  my  order?"  Colonel  Foster:  "I  did,  sir." 
The  Secretary:  "Do  you  intend  to  obey  it?"  Colonel 
Foster :  "  I  do,  sir."  The  Secretary  :  "  Very  well,  sir ;  see 
then  that  you  do,  and  let  Mr.  Wall  be  examined  at  once." 

After  some  reflection  Colonel  Foster  thought  that  it 
would  be  well  to  have  Mr.  Wall  appointed  a  major  in- 
stead of  a  captain,  but  Mr.  Wall  was  content  to  have  the 
orders  of  the  Secretary  carried  out.  His  appointment 
was  received  with  acclamations  of  joy  by  his  neighbors  in 
Oberlin,  where,  later,  he  was,  at  a  public  meeting,  presented 
with  an  elegant  sword.  He  served  for  nearly  two  years 
as  quartermaster  in  the  Bureau  for  Freedmen  Refugees 
and  Abandoned  Lands,  with  headquarters  at  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  where  he  displayed  executive  ability  and 
business  habits.  He  heard  disputes  and  unravelled  the 
feuds  of  refugees  and  freedmen ;  and  having  had  charge 
of  the  abandoned  property  of  the  Government  at  that 
point,  when  he  was  mustered  out  he  was  able  to  give  a 
clean  report  of  every  dollar's  worth  of  it. 

There  were  a  number  of  Negro  surgeons  and  chaplains 
commissioned  during  the  war.  Alexander  T.  Augusta 
was  surgeon  of  the  Seventh  Regiment  (U.  S.  C.  T.),  his 
commission  dating  from  the  2d  of  October,  1863,  and  was 
made  Brevet  Lieutenant-colonel  on  the  13th  of  March, 
1865.  John  Y.  De  Grassee  was  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the 
Thirty-fifth  Regiment  (U.  S.  C.  T.),  but  was  cashiered  on 
November  1, 1864.  Charles  B.  Purvis,  Alpheus  Tucker, 
John  Rapier,  William  Ellis,  Anderson  R.Abbott,  and  Will- 
iam Powell  were  Hospital  Surgeons  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Of  colored  chaplains,  the  following  list  is  as  complete 
as  possible,  the  nationality  of  men  in  that  position  not  be- 


144:  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ing  easy  to  trace :  Henry  M.  Turner,  First  Regiment  In- 
fantry (U.  S.  C.  T.) ;  William  Hunter,  Fourth  Regiment 
Infantry  (U.  S.  C.  T.) ;  James  Underdue,  Thirty-ninth 
Regiment  Infantry  (U.  S.  C.  T.)  ;  William  Warring,  One 
Hundred  and  Second  Regiment  Infantry  (U.  S.  C.  T.) ; 
Samuel  Harrison,  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment 
Infantry  (Colored);  William  Jackson,  Fifty -fifth  Massa- 
chusetts Regiment  Infantry  (Colored);  John  R.  Bowles, 
Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts  Regiment  Infantry  (Colored). 


IN   THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  145 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MILITARY    STATUS    OF   NEGRO   TROOPS. 

THE  legal  status  of  the  Negro  soldier  ought  never  to 
have  been  a  mooted  question.  Ancient  and  modern  his- 
tory furnished  safe  and  noteworthy  precedents  for  the 
guidance  of  the  Government  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
Two  distinct  questions  were  forced  upon  the  Govern- 
ment :  First,  the  legal  right  to  employ  free  persons  of 
African  descent  in  the  military  service  ;  second,  the  Con- 
stitutional power  of  the  Government  to  emancipate  and 
arm  the  slaves  of  its  enemies. 

"While  the  Constitutions  of  the  several  States  excluded 
free  Negroes  from  the  militia  establishment,  there  was, 
nevertheless,  no  inhibition  against  their  enlistment  in  the 
Volunteer  and  Regular  Army  of  the  United  States.  The 
words  of  the  Constitution  descriptive  of  persons  eligible 
to  military  service  are  clear.  On  April  30,  1790,  the 
words  were :  "  able-bodied,  of  at  least  five  feet  six  inches 
in  height,  and  not  under  the  age  of  eighteen,  nor  above 
the  age  of  forty-six  years."  On  March  3, 1795,  the  same 
description  was  adopted.  March  3,  1799  :  "  able-bodied, 
and  of  a  size  and  age  suitable  for  the  public  service,  ac- 
cording to  the  directions  which  the  President  of  the  Unit- 
ed States  shall  and  may  establish."  March  16, 1802 :  "  ef- 
fective, able-bodied  citizens  of  the  United  States,  of  at 
least  five  feet  six  inches  high  and  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five  years."  In  the  Acts  of  December 
24, 1811,  January  11, 1812,  January  20, 1813,  and  January 
10 


146  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

27,  1814:  "effective,  able-bodied  men."  In  the  Act  of 
December  14, 1814  :  "free,  effective,  able-bodied  men,  be- 
tween the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five  years."  June 
12, 1847 :  "  able-bodied  men." 

It  is  unnecessary  to  cite  the  law  in  support  of  the  claim 
of  free  Negroes  to  citizenship  since  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution.  During  the  war  with  Great  Britain  offi- 
cers of  the  United  States  Army  were  regularly  detailed  by 
the  War  Department  to  recruit  Negroes  for  military  serv- 
ice. On  the  21st  of  September,  1814,  the  free  Negroes 
of  Louisiana  were  invited  to  enlist  in  the  United  States 
Army  by  Andrew  Jackson  in  special  orders.  There  was 
no  legal  bar  to  the  employment  of  troops  of  this  char- 
acter, and  the  right  to  incorporate  them  in  the  national 
military  service  was  never  challenged.  But  when  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion  confronted  the  Government  the 
question  of  arming  free  Negroes  was  opposed  on  pruden- 
tial and  political  rather  than  upon  legal  grounds.  Race 
prejudice  proved  to  be  more  potent  than  law,  and  the 
war  was  well  advanced  before  the  military  employment 
of  Negroes  received  serious  official  consideration. 

It  was  not  the  free  Negro,  however,  who  presented  a 
problem  so  difficult  of  solution,  but  his  brother  in  South- 
ern bondage. 

As  to  the  second  question,  involving  the  Constitutional 
right  of  Congress  to  emancipate  and  arm  the  slaves  of  the 
enemies  of  the  United  States,  there  were  grave  doubts  ex- 
pressed. And  yet  a  thousand  facts  of  history  for  five 
thousand  years  were  flashing  their  certain  light  on  the 
path  of  a  bewildered  nation.  Abraham  had  armed  his 
own  slaves  in  his  war  with  the  herdsmen.  Greece  and 
Rome  had  armed  their  slaves  and  rewarded  their  valor 
with  citizenship.  England  had  armed  the  slaves  of  her 
North  American  colonies,  and  henceforth  they  were  free 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        147 

British  subjects.  France,  finding  that  Spain  was  about  to 
wrest  from  her  Hayti,  converted  her  insurgent  slaves  into 
French  soldiers.  During  the  Revolutionary  War  the 
military  commanders  of  the  British  forces  and  the  leaders 
of  the  Continental  troops  appealed  to  the  slaves  to  take 
up  arms  in  their  cause,  offering  them  freedom  as  a  re- 
ward. Each  cause  secured  black  levies,  and  the  pledges 
of  the  military  commanders  in  each  case  were  ratified  by 
their  respective  governments. 

But  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  during  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion  the  case  was  somewhat  different  from  any 
thus  far  cited.  Slavery  occupied  an  unique  position  in 
the  United  States ;  for  while  it  existed  perforce  of  cus- 
tom in  other  countries,  the  foundations  of  the  institution 
in  America  rested  upon  Constitutional  law.  And  in  the 
seat  of  Government  slaves  were  bought  and  sold  under 
the  dome  of  the  Capitol.  This  crime,  this  national  dis- 
grace, embarrassed  every  attempt  of  the  Government  to 
deal  with  slavery. 

However,  there  was  ample  power  under  the  Constitu- 
tion to  abolish  the  institution  the  moment  the  slave-hold- 
ers' rebellion  was  begun.  On  the  26th  of  May,  1836,  John 
Quincy  Adams  delivered  a  speech  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, in  which  he  ably  set  forth  the  war  powers  of 
the  Government :  "  There  are,  then,  Mr.  Chairman,  in  the 
authority  of  Congress  and  of  the  Executive,  two  classes 
of  powers,  altogether  different  in  their  nature,  and  often 
incompatible  with  each  other — -the  war  power  and  the 
peace  power.  The  peace  power  is  limited  by  regulations 
and  restricted  by  provisions  prescribed  within  the  Consti- 
tution itself.  The  war  power  is  limited  only  by  the  laws 
and  usages  of  nations.  This  power  is  tremendous ;  it  is 
strictly  constitutional,  but  it  breaks  down  every  barrier  so 
anxiously  erected  for  the  protection  of  liberty,  of  property, 


14:8  A   HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

and  of  life.  This,  sir,  is  the  power  which  authorizes  you 
to  pass  the  resolutions  now  before  you,  and,  in  my  opin- 
ion, no  other. 

"  But  the  war  power  of  Congress  over  the  institution 
of  slavery  in  the  States  is  yet  far  more  extensive.  Sup- 
pose the  case  of  a  servile  war,  complicated,  as  to  some  ex- 
tent it  is  even  now  with  an  Indian  War ;  suppose  Con- 
gress were  called  to  raise  armies,  to  supply  money  from, 
the  whole  union  to  suppress  a  servile  insurrection  •  would 
they  have  no  authority  to  interfere  with  the  institution  of 
slavery?  The  issue  of  a  servile  war  may  be  disastrous; 
it  may  become  necessary  for  the  master  of  the  slave  to 
recognize  his  emancipation  by  a  treaty  of  peace ;  can  it 
for  an  instant  be  pretended  that  Congress,  in  such  a  con- 
tingency, would  have  no  authority  to  interfere  with  the 
institution  of  slavery  in  any  way  in  the  States  ?  Why,  it 
would  be  equivalent  to  saying  the  Congress  has  no  Consti- 
tutional authority  to  make  peace.  I  suppose  a  more  por- 
tentous case,  certainly  within  the  bounds  of  possibility — 
I  would  to  God  I  could  say,  not  within  the  bounds  of 
probability. 

"  Do  you  imagine  that  your  Congress  will  have  no  Con- 
stitutional authority  to  interfere  with  the  institution  of 
slavery,  in  any  way,  in  the  States  of  this  Confederacy? 
Sir,  they  must  and  will  interfere  with  it — perhaps  to  sus- 
tain it  by  war,  perhaps  to  abolish  it  by  treaties  of  peace ; 
and  they  will  not  only  possess  the  Constitutional  power  so 
to  interfere,  but  they  will  be  bound  in  duty  to  do  it  by 
the  express  provisions  of  the  Constitution  itself.  From 
the  instant  that  your  slave-holding  States  become  the  thea- 
tre of  a  war,  civil,  servile,  or  foreign  war,  from  that  instant 
the  war  powers  of  Congress  extend  to  interference  with 
the  institution  of  slavery,  in  every  way  by  which  it  can  be 
interfered  with,  from  a  claim  of  indemnity  for  slaves  taken 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        149 

or  destroyed,  to  the  cession  of  States  burdened  with  slav- 
ery to  a  foreign  power." 

In  the  annals  of  this  young  nation  were  just  such  prece- 
dents as  the  statesmen  of  the  time  needed  for  citation ; 
but  few  thought  of  them.  In  December,  1814,  General 
Jackson  impressed  a  large  number  of  slaves  for  the  con- 
struction of  fortifications,  behind  which  he  won  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans  on  the  8th  of  January,  1815.  Many  of 
these  slaves  were  killed  by  the  enemy's  guns,  and  the 
owners,  being  loyal,  applied  to  General  Jackson  for  com- 
pensation. He  would  not  recognize  the  claim,  and  the 
masters  went  before  Congress;  but  the  President  and 
Congress  sustained  the  decision  of  General  Jackson. 

During  the  Seminole  War  in  Florida  General  T.  S. 
Jesup  secured  the  services  of  several  Negro  slaves  as 
guides  upon  the  condition  that  if  they  were  faithful  he 
would  set  them  and  their  families  at  liberty.  This  was  on 
the  25th  of  September,  1837.  He  kept  faith  with  the 
slaves,  and  the  War  Department,  the  President,  and  Con- 
gress sustained  his  action.  During  the  following  year 
General  Z.  Taylor  captured  some  Negroes  near  Tampa, 
Florida.  The  masters  came  to  his  camp  to  secure  their 
slaves,  and  General  Taylor  told  them  that  he  had  only 
prisoners  of  war.  The  masters  desired  to  enter  his  camp 
for  the  purpose  of  identifying  their  property,  but  General 
Taylor  ordered  them  away,  with  the  observation  that  no 
citizens  should  ever  search  his  camp  for  alleged  prop- 
erty. He  subsequently  sent  the  Negroes  to  the  West 
and  gave  them  their  liberty.  The  owners  appealed  to  the 
War  Department,  and  the  President  sustained  General 
Taylor. 

However,  no  man  is  so  blind  as  the  man  who  will  not 
see.  Few  men  cared  to  know  the  truth  of  history  during 
the  early  part  of  the  war.  If  there  had  been  no  warrant 


150  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

of  law  for  the  employment  of  the  Negro  as  a  soldier  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  sufficient  authority  was  guaranteed 
by  the  several  Acts  of  Congress  and  orders  of  the  "War  De- 
partment. There  were  the  Confiscation  Act,  August  6, 
1861,  and  the  following  order  of  the  "War  Department  to 
General  W.  T.  Sherman,  October  14,  1861 :  "  You  will, 
however,  in  general,  avail  yourself  of  the  services  of  any 
persons,  whether  fugitives  from  labor  or  not,  who  may 
offer  themselves  to  the  National  Government.  You  will 
employ  such  persons  in  such  services  as  they  may  be  fitted 
for,  either  as  ordinary  employes,  or,  if  '  special '  [the  word 
special  interlined  by  President  Lincoln,  and  in  his  own 
handwriting]  circumstances  seem  to  require  it,  in  any  other 
capacity,  with  such  organization  in  squads,  companies,  or 
otherwise  as  you  may  deem  most  beneficial  to  the  service. 
This,  however,  not  to  mean  a  general  arming  of  them  for 
military  service.1  You  will  assume  all  loyal  masters  that 
Congress  will  provide  just  compensation  to  them  for  the 
loss  of  the  services  of  the  persons  so  employed.  And  you 
will  assure  all  persons  held  to  involuntary  labor,  who  may 
be  thus  received  into  the  service  of  the  Government,  that 
they  will  under  no  circumstances  be  again  reduced  to 
their  former  condition,  unless,  at  the  expiration  of  their 
respective  terms  of  service,  they  freely  choose  to  return  to 
the  service  of  their  former  masters. 

"It  is  believed  that  the  course  thus  indicated  will  best 
secure  the  substantial  rights  of  loyal  masters,  and  the 
proper  benefits  to  the  United  States  of  the  services  of  all 
disposed  to  support  the  Government,  while  it  will  avoid 
all  interference  with  the  social  systems  or  local  institutions 
of  every  State,  beyond  that  which  insurrection  makes  un- 
avoidable, and  which  a  restoration  of  peaceful  relations  to 

1  This  sentence  interlined  by  the  President.— G.  W.  W. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         151 

the  Union  under  the  Constitution  will  immediately  re- 
move." l 

Then  followed  the  amended  Militia  Law  of  July  17, 
1862,  the  Confiscation  and  Emancipation  Act  of  July  17, 
1862,  the  War  Department  order  to  General  Biifus  Sax- 
ton,  August  25,  1862,  and  the  opinion  of  Judge  Advocate 
Holt,  August  20, 1863. 

In  the  matter  of  the  pay  and  bounty  of  Negro  soldiers 
the  action  of  the  Government  was  manifestly  unwise  and 
unjust.  In  every  army  the  Negro  had  served  in — ancient 
and  modern,  Christian  and  Pagan — he  had  always  received 
the  same  pay  and  allowances  awarded  to  other  soldiers. 
In  the  Revolutionary  War  it  was  sometimes  said  that 
slaves  made  expensive  soldiers  because  they  were  pur- 
chased at  public  expense,  and  were  then  paid  the  same  as 
white  soldiers.  General  Jackson  promised,  "To  every 
noble-hearted,  generous  freeman  of  color  volunteering  to 
serve  during  the  present  contest  with  Great  Britain,  and 
no  longer,  there  will  be  paid  the  same  bounty  in  money 
and  lands  now  received  by  the  white  soldiers  of  the  United 
States,  viz.,  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  dollars  in  money 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  The  non-com- 
missioned officers  and  privates  will  also  be  entitled  to  the 
same  monthly  pay  and  daily  rations  and  clothes  furnished 
to  any  American  soldier." 

"When  the  war  was  over,  these  Negro  soldiers  applied  for 
their  bounty,  and  the  matter  was  referred  to  the  Attorney- 
general  for  his  opinion.  The  Hon.  William  Wirt,  of  Vir- 
ginia, was  at  the  head  of  the  Department  of  Justice,  and 
he  promptly  rendered  an  opinion  allowing  that  "  colored 
troops  were  entitled  to  bounty  and  land." " 

1  Taken  from  the  original  draft,  with  the  President's  interlineation, 
in  possession  of  the  Hon.  Simon  Cameron. — G.  W.  W. 

2  "Opinions  of  Attorneys-general,"  vol.  i.,  pp.  602,  603. 


152  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Two  important  decisions  were  rendered  by  Attorney- 
general  Bates,  one  on  the  23d  of  April,  1864,  in  the  case 
of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Harrison,  chaplain  of  the  Fifty-fourth 
Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  the  question 
of  his  pay  was  raised  on  the  ground  of  his  nationality ;  the 
other  opinion  was  rendered  on  the  14th  of  July,  1864,  on 
the  pay  and  bounty  of  colored  soldiers.  Both  opinions 
were  in  favor  of  equal  pay  and  bounty.1 

On  the  15th  of  June,  1864,  the  Army  Appropriation 
Bill  passed,  with  amendments,  designed  to  do  tardy  justice 
to  the  Negro  volunteer  in  the  matter  of  pay  and  subsist- 
ence. The  following  are  the  sections  of  the  bill  relating 
to  the  matter : 

"2.  All  persons  of  color  who  have  been,  or  may  be, 
mustered  into  the  military  service  of  the  United  States, 
shall  receive  the  same  uniform,  clothing,  arms,  equipments, 
camp  equipage,  rations,  medical  and  hospital  attendance, 
pay,  and  emoluments,  other  than  bounty,  as  other  soldiers 
of  the  regular  or  volunteer  forces  of  the  United  States  of 
a  like  arm  of  the  service,  from  and  after  the  1st  of  Janu- 
ary, 1864.  And  every  person  of  color  who  shall  hereafter 
be  mustered  into  the  service  shall  receive  such  sums  in 
bounty  as  the  President  shall  order  in  the  different  States, 
not  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars. 

"3.  All  persons  enlisted  and  mustered  into  the  service 
as  volunteers  under  the  call  dated  October  17,  1863,  for 
three  hundred  thousand  volunteers,  who  were  at  the  time 
of  enlistment  actually  enrolled  and  subject  to  draft  in  the 
State  in  which  they  volunteered,  shall  receive  from  the 
United  States  the  same  amount  of  bounty,  without  regard 
to  color. 

"  4.  All  persons  of  color  who  were  free  on  the  19th  day 

1  "Opinions  of  Attorneys-general,"  vol.  xi.,  pp.  37^43,  53-57. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         153 

of  April,  1861,  and  who  have  been  enlisted  and  mustered 
into  the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  shall  from 
the  time  of  their  enlistment  be  entitled  to  receive  the  pay, 
bounty,  and  clothing  allowed  to  such  persons  by  the  laws 
existing  at  the  time  of  their  enlistment ;  and  the  Attorney- 
general  of  the  United  States  is  hereby  authorized  to  de- 
termine any  question  of  law  arising  under  this  provision  ; 
and  if  the  Attorney-general  aforesaid  shall  determine  that 
any  such  enlisted  persons  are  entitled  to  receive  any  pay, 
bounty,  or  clothing,  in  addition  to  what  they  have  already 
received,  the  Secretary  of  War  shall  make  all  necessary 
regulations  to  enable  the  pay  department  to  make  payment 
in  accordance  with  such  determination."  * 

Shortly  after  the  above  Act  became  a  law,  the  Secretary 
of  War  issued  an  order  to  have  Negro  soldiers  paid  six 
months'  full  wages  for  the  period  embraced  between  Janu- 
ary 1  and  July  1, 1864.  In  August  the  Attorney-general 
rendered  a  decision  in  accordance  with  Section  4  of  the 
above  Act,  that  all  Negroes  volunteering  prior  to  1864 
were  entitled  to  the  same  pay,  bounty,  and  clothing  as  oth- 
er volunteers.  By  an  Act  of  July  4, 1864,  the  widows  and 
children  of  Negro  soldiers  dying  in  battle,  or  of  wounds,  or 
disease  contracted  in  the  military  service,  were  declared  en- 
titled to  pensions,  provided  such  widows  and  children  were 
free  persons.  The  status  of  the  Negro  soldier  up  to  this 
time  had  been  equivocal.  He  had  been  called  upon  as 
a  volunteer  to  defend  the  National  Government  against 
armed  rebellion.  He  had  been  drafted  into  the  army  of 

1  Adjutant-general  Thomas  had  repeatedly  urged  the  increase  of  the 
compensation  allowed  Negro  soldiers,  and  the  Secretary  of  War  rec- 
ommended it  in  his  report  to  Congress  in  October,  1863.  "As  sol- 
diers of  the  Union,"  he  wrote,  "fighting  under  its  banner,  exposing 
their  lives  to  uphold  the  Government,  Colored  Troops  are  entitled  to 
enjoy  its  justice  and  beneficence."— G.  W.  W. 


154  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

the  United  States.  His  obligations,  responsibilities,  and 
duties  to,  as  well  as  his  perils  for,  the  Government  were 
equal  to  those  of  his  white  comrade  in  arms.  But  his  valor 
was  doubted,  and  his  right  to  bear  arms  in  the  public  de- 
fence was  sharply  disputed.  He  was  an  experiment.  The 
Act  of  the  17th  of  July,  1862,  amending  the  Act  of  1795, 
prescribing  the  manner  of  calling  forth  the  militia,  empow- 
ered the  President  to  employ  "  persons  of  African  Descent 
for  the  purpose  of  constructing  intrenchments  or  perform- 
ing camp  service,  or  any  war  service  for  which  they  may 
be  found  competent."  These  persons  of  "African  De- 
scent "  were  to  be  enrolled  and  organized  under  regulations 
not  inconsistent  with  the  Constitution  and  the  laws.  They 
were  to  be  compensated  at  the  rate  of  ten  dollars  per  month, 
with  one  ration  per  day,  of  which  monthly  pay  three  dol- 
lars might  be  in  clothing.  A  stereotyped  phrase  in  all  orders 
issued  by  the  War  Department  for  the  recruitment  of  Negro 
troops  ran,  "  To  these  troops  no  bounties  will  be  paid.  They 
will  receive  ten  dollars  per  month  and  one  ration  per  day, 
three  dollars  of  which  monthly  pay  may  be  in  clothing" 
The  War  Department  had  employed  the  Negro  as  a  soldier 
under  the  Act  of  the  17th  of  July,  1862,  and  was  compelled 
to  pay  him  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  same  law. 
There  was  at  the  time  no  other  way  out  of  this  difficulty. 
And  while  it  was  true  that  the  proper  interpretation  of  the 
law  gave  contrabands  ten  dollars  per  month,  the  Negro  regi- 
ments for  Massachusetts  had  the  promise  of  the  Govern- 
ment that  they  should  receive  the  same  pay  as  other  troops. 
Major  Geo.  L.  Stearns,  accidentally  learning  that  the  Gov- 
ernment had  failed  to  keep  faith  with  the  Negro  volun- 
teers, hastened  to  Boston.  Secretary  Stanton  had  said,  in 
his  letter  of  the  26th  January,  1863,  granting  Governor 
Andrew  permission  to  raise  these  troops,  that  they  should 
be  included  with  other  troops.  Major  Stearns  headed  a 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        155 

subscription  list  with  two  thousand  dollars,  and  within 
three  days  raised  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  make  good  the 
dishonored  faith  of  the  Government.  His  energy  and 
skill,  his  humanity  and  benevolence,  were  positively  with- 
out a  parallel  during  the  struggle  for  human  liberty.  He 
was  almost  ubiquitous  in  space,  and  with  marvellous  in- 
stinct knew  every  weak  place  along  the  lines  of  the  cause 
of  freedom.  Wherever  and  whenever  there  was  a  gap  in 
the  line  he  was  there,  and  from  his  marvellous  resources 
commanded  such  remedies  as  were  necessary  for  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  case. 

The  enemies  of  the  Negro  and  the  obstructionists  in  Con- 
gress sought  by  every  means  and  upon  all  occasions  to  pre- 
vent the  passage  of  every  appropriation  bill  that  contained 
an  item  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Negro  troops  already 
accepted  by  and  in  the  service  of  the  Government.  And 
so  the  friends  of  the  Negro  had  to  be  patient  until  a  lag- 
ging public  sentiment  came  up  to  a  sense  of  the  obligation 
of  a  great  government  to  its  loyal  defenders. 

Under  date  of  the  War  Department,  25th  of  August,  1862, 
General  Saxton  was  authorized  and  instructed  to  raise  Ne- 
gro troops.  He  was  "  to  instruct  them  in  military  drill, 
discipline,  and  duty,  and  to  command  them."  As  to  their 
compensation,  the  Secretary  of  "War  said :  "  The  persons 
so  received  into  the  service  and  their  officers  to  be  entitled 
to  and  receive  the  same  pay  and  rations  as  are  allowed  by 
law  to  volunteers  in  the  service." '  The  regiment  recently 
disbanded,  and  another  one  soon  entered  the  service  under 
this  agreement  of  the  War  Department.  Colonel  T.  W. 
Higginson,  of  the  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers,  says : 
"  The  story  of  the  attempt  to  cut  down  the  pay  of  the  Col- 


1  "Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xiv.,  pp.  377, 
378. 


156  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ored  Troops  is  too  long,  too  complicated,  and  too  humiliat- 
ing to  be  here  narrated.  In  the  case  of  my  regiment,  there 
stood  on  record  the  direct  pledge  of  the  War  Department 
to  General  Saxton  that  their  pay  should  be  the  same  as  that 
of  whites.  So  clear  was  this  that  our  kind  paymaster,  Ma- 
jor W.  J.  Wood,  of  New  Jersey,  took  upon  himself  the  re- 
sponsibility of  paying  the  price  agreed  upon  for  five  months, 
till  he  was  compelled  by  express  orders  to  reduce  it  from 
thirteen  dollars  per  month  to  ten  dollars,  and  from  that  to 
seven  dollars,  the  pay  of  quartermaster's  men  and  day- 
laborers.  At  the  same  time  the  'stoppages'  from  the  pay- 
rolls for  the  loss  of  all  equipments  and  articles  of  clothing 
remained  the  same  as  for  all  other  soldiers ;  so  that  it  placed 
the  men  in  the  most  painful  and  humiliating  condition. 
Many  of  them  had  families  to  provide  for  ;  and  between 
the  actual  distress,  the  sense  of  wrong,  the  taunts  of  those 
who  had  refused  to  enlist  from  the  fear  of  being  cheated, 
and  the  doubt  how  much  further  the  cheat  might  be  car- 
ried, the  poor  fellows  were  goaded  to  the  utmost.  In  the 
Third  South  Carolina  Regiment,  Sergeant  William  Walker 
was  shot,  by  order  of  court-martial,  for  leading  his  company 
to  stack  arms  before  their  captain's  tent,  on  the  avowed 
ground  that  they  were  released  from  duty  by  the  refusal 
of  the  Government  to  fulfil  its  share  of  the  contract.  The 
fear  of  such  tragedies  spread  a  cloud  of  solicitude  over 
every  camp  of  colored  soldiers  for  more  than  a  year ;  and 
the  following  series  of  letters  will  show  through  what  weari- 
some labors  the  final  triumph  of  justice  was  secured.  In 
these  labors  the  chief  credit  must  be  given  to  my  admira- 
ble adjutant,  Lieutenant  G.  W.  Dewhurst.  In  the  matter 
of  bounty,  justice  is  not  yet  obtained  ;  there  is  a  discrimi- 
nation against  those  colored  soldiers  who  were  slaves  on 
April  19,  1861.  Every  officer  who,  through  indolence  or 
benevolent  design,  claimed  on  his  muster-rolls  that  all  his 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  157 

men  had  be§n  free  on  that  day,  secured  for  them  the  boun- 
ty ;  while  every  officer  who,  like  myself,  obeyed  orders  and 
told  the  truth  in  each  case,  saw  his  men  and  their  families 
suffer  for  it,  as  I  have  done.  A  bill  to  abolish  this  distinc- 
tion was  introduced  by  Mr.  Wilson  at  the  last  session,  but 
failed  to  pass  the  House.  It  is  hoped  that  next  winter  may 
remove  this  last  vestige  of  the  weary  contest. 

"  To  show  how  persistently  and  for  how  long  a  period 
these  claims  had  to  be  urged  on  Congress,  I  reprint  such  of 
my  own  printed  letters  on  the  subject  as  are  now  in  my 
possession.  There  are  one  or  two  of  which  I  have  no  cop- 
ies. It  was  especially  in  the  Senate  that  it  was  so  difficult 
to  get  justice  done ;  and  our  thanks  will  always  be  espe- 
cially due  to  Hon.  Charles  Sumner  and  Hon.  Henry  Wil- 
son for  their  advocacy  of  our  simple  rights.  The  records 
of  those  sessions  will  show  who  advocated  the  fraud  : 

"  '  To  the  Editor  of  the  New  York  Tribune : 

"  '  SIR, — No  one  can  overstate  the  intense  anxiety  with  which  the 
officers  of  Colored  regiments  in  this  Department  are  awaiting  action 
from  Congress  in  regard  to  arrears  of  pay  of  their  men. 

" '  It  is  not  a  matter  of  dollars  and  cents  only,  it  is  a  question  of 
common  honesty,  whether  the  United  States  Government  has  suffi- 
cient integrity  for  the  fulfilment  of  an  explicit  business  contract. 

"  '  The  public  seems  to  suppose  that  all  required  justice  will  be  done 
by  the  passage  of  a  bill  equalizing  the  pay  of  all  soldiers  for  the  future. 
But,  so  far  as  my  own  regiment  is  concerned,  this  is  but  half  the  ques- 
tion. My  men  have  been  nearly  sixteen  months  in  service,  and  for 
them  the  immediate  issue  is  the  question  of  arrears. 

" '  They  understand  the  matter  thoroughly,  if  the  public  do  not. 
Every  one  of  them  knows  that  he  volunteered  under  an  explicit  writ- 
ten assurance  from  the  War  Department  that  he  should  have  the  pay 
of  a  white  soldier.  He  knows  that  for  live  months  the  regiment  re- 
ceived that  pay,  after  which  it  was  cut  down  from  the  promised  thir- 
teen dollars  per  month  to  ten  dollars,  for  some  reason  to  him  inscru- 
table. 

"  '  He  does  not  know— for  I  have  not  yet  dared  tell  the  men — that  the 
Paymaster  has  been  already  reproved  by  the  Pay  Department  for  ful- 


158  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

filling  even  in  part  the  pledges  of  the  War  Department;  that  at  the 
next  payment  the  ten  dollars  are  to  be  further  reduced  to  seven;  and 
that,  to  crown  the  whole,  all  the  previous  overpay  is  to  be  again  de- 
ducted or  "  stopped  "  from  the  future  wages,  thus  leaving  them  a  little 
more  than  a  dollar  a  month  for  six  months  to  come,  unless  Congress 
interfere ! 

" '  Yet  so  clear  were  the  terms  of  the  contract  that  Mr.  Solicitor 
Whiting,  having  examined  the  original  instructions  from  the  War 
Department  issued  to  Brigadier- general  Saxton,  Military  Governor, 
admits  to  me  (under  date  of  December  4, 1863)  that  "  the  faith  of  the 
Government  was  thereby  pledged  to  every  officer  and  soldier  enlisted 
under  that  call. " 

" '  He  goes  on  to  express  the  generous  confidence  that  "the  pledge 
will  be  honorably  fulfilled."  I  observe  that  every  one  at  the  North 
seems  to  feel  the  same  confidence,  but  that,  meanwhile,  the  pledge  is 
unfulfilled.  Nothing  is  said  in  Congress  about  fulfilling  it.  I  have 
not  seen  even  a  proposition  in  Congress  to  pay  the  Colored  soldiers, 
from  date  of  enlistment,  the  same  pay  with  white  soldiers ;  and  yet 
anything  short  of  this  is  an  unequivocal  breach  of  contract,  so  far  as 
this  regiment  is  concerned. 

"  'Meanwhile,  the  land  sales  are  beginning,  and  there  is  danger  of 
every  foot  of  land  being  sold  from  beneath  my  soldiers'  feet,  because 
they  have  not  the  petty  sum  which  Government  first  promised,  and 
then  refused  to  pay. 

" '  The  officers'  pay  comes  promptly  and  fully  enough,  and  this 
makes  the  position  more  embarrassing.  For  how  are  we  to  explain 
to  the  men  the  mystery  that  Government  can  afford  us  a  hundred  or 
two  dollars  a  month,  and  yet  must  keep  back  six  of  the  poor  thirteen 
•which  it  promised  them?  Does  it  not  naturally  suggest  the  most  cruel 
suspicions  in  regard  to  us?  And  yet  nothing  but  their  childlike  faith 
in  their  officers,  and  in  that  incarnate  soul  of  honor,  General  Saxton, 
has  sustained  their  faith,  or  kept  them  patient,  thus  far. 

"  '  There  is  nothing  mean  or  mercenary  about  these  men  in  general. 
Convince  them  that  the  Government  actually  needs  their  money,  and 
they  would  serve  it  barefooted  and  on  half  rations,  and  without  a  dol- 
lar— for  a  time.  But,  unfortunately,  they  see  white  soldiers  beside 
them  whom  they  know  to  be  in  no  way  their  superiors  for  any  mili- 
tary service,  receiving  hundreds  of  dollars  for  re-enlisting  from  this 
impoverished  Government,  which  can  only  pay  seven  dollars  out  of 
thirteen  to  its  black  regiments.  And  they  see,  on  the  other  hand, 
those  Colored  men  who  refuse  to  volunteer  as  soldiers,  and  who  have 
found  more  honest  paymasters  than  the  United  States  Government, 


IN   THE   WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  159 

now  exulting  in  well-filled  pockets,  and  able  to  buy  the  little  home- 
steads the  soldiers  need,  and  to  turn  the  soldiers'  families  into  the 
streets.  Is  this  a  school  for  self-sacrificing  patriotism? 

"'I  should  not  speak  thus  urgently  were  it  not  becoming  manifest 
that  there  is  to  be  no  promptness  of  action  in  Congress,  even  as  re- 
gards the  future  pay  of  Colored  soldiers — and  that  there  is  especial 
danger  of  the  whole  matter  of  arrears  going  by  default.  Should  it  be 
so,  it  will  be  a  repudiation  more  ungenerous  than  any  which  Jefferson 
Davis  advocated  or  Sydney  Smith  denounced.  It  will  sully  with  dis- 
honor all  the  nobleness  of  this  opening  page  of  history,  and  fix  upon 
the  North  a  brand  of  meanness  worse  than  either  Southerner  or  Eng- 
lishman has  yet  dared  to  impute.  The  mere  delay  in  the  fulfilment 
of  this  contract  has  already  inflicted  untold  suffering,  has  impaired 
discipline,  has  relaxed  loyalty,  and  has  begun  to  implant  a  feeling  of 
sullen  distrust  in  the  very  regiments  whose  early  career  solved  the 
problem  of  the  nation,  created  a  new  army,  and  made  peaceful  eman- 
cipation possible.  T.  W.  HIGGINSON, 

"  '  Colonel  commanding  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers. 
"  'Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  January  22, 1864.' " 

"  'Headquarters  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers, 
" '  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  Sunday,  February  14, 1864. 
"'  To  the  Editor  oftlie  New  York  Times: 

"  '  May  I  venture  to  call  your  attention  to  the  great  and  cruel  injus- 
tice which  is  impending  over  the  brave  men  of  this  regiment? 

"  '  They  have  been  in  military  service  for  over  a  year,  having  volun- 
teered, every  man,  without  a  cent  of  bounty,  on  the  written  pledge  of 
the  War  Department  that  they  should  receive  the  same  pay  and  rations 
with  white  soldiers. 

"  '  This  pledge  is  contained  in  the  written  instructions  of  Brigadier- 
general  Saxton,  Military  Governor,  dated  August  25, 1862.  Mr.  Solici- 
tor Whiting,  having  examined  those  instructions,  admits  to  me  that 
"the  faith  of  the  Government  was  thereby  pledged  to  every  officer  and 
soldier  under  that  call." 

"  '  Surely,  if  this  fact  were  understood,  every  man  in  the  nation 
would  see  that  the  Government  is  degraded  by  using  for  a  year  the 
services  of  the  brave  soldiers,  and  then  repudiating  the  contract  under 
which  they  were  enlisted.  This  is  what  will  be  done  should  Mr.  Wil- 
son's bill,  legalizing  the  back  pay  of  the  army,  be  defeated. 

"  '  We  presume  too  much  on  the  supposed  ignorance  of  these  men. 
I  have  never  yet  found  a  man  in  my  regiment  so  stupid  as  not  to  know 
when  he  was  cheated.  If  fraud  proceeds  from  Government  itself,  so 


160  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

much  the  worse,  for  this  strikes  at  the  foundation  of  all  rectitude,  all 
honor,  all  obligation. 

"  '  Mr.  Senator  Fessenden  said,  in  the  debate  on  Mr.  Wilson's  bill,  Jan- 
uary 4,  that  the  Government  was  not  bound  by  the  unauthorized  prom- 
ises of  irresponsible  recruiting  officers.  But  is  the  Government  itself 
an  irresponsible  recruiting  officer?  and  if  men  have  volunteered  in 
good  faith  on  the  written  assurances  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  is  not 
Congress  bound,  in  all  decency,  either  to  fulfil  those  pledges  or  to  dis- 
band the  regiments? 

"  'Mr.  Senator  Doolittle  argued  in  the  same  debate  that  white  sol- 
diers should  receive  higher  pay  than  black  ones,  because  the  families 
of  the  latter  were  often  supported  by  Government.  What  an  astound- 
ing statement  of  fact  is  this!  In  the  white  regiment  in  which  I  was 
formerly  an  officer  (the  Massachusetts  Fifty-first)  nine-tenths  of  the 
soldiers'  families,  in  addition  to  the  pay  and  bounties,  drew  regularly 
their  "State  aid."  Among  my  black  soldiers,  with  half-pay  and  no 
bounty,  not  a  family  receives  any  aid.  Is  there  to  be  no  limit,  no  end 
to  the  injustice  we  heap  upon  this  unfortunate  people?  Cannot  even 
the  fact  of  their  being  in  arms  for  the  nation,  liable  to  die  any  day  in 
its  defence,  secure  them  ordinary  justice?  Is  the  nation  so  poor,  and 
so  utterly  demoralized  by  its  pauperism,  that  after  it  has  had  the  lives 
of  these  men,  it  must  turn  round  to  filch  six  dollars  of  the  monthly 
pay  which  the  Secretary  of  War  promised  to  their  widows?  It  is 
even  so,  if  the  excuses  of  Mr.  Fessenden  and  Mr.  Doolittle  are  to  be 
accepted  by  Congress  and  by  the  people. 

"  '  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  'T.  W.  HlGGENSON, 

"  '  Colonel  commanding  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers.'" 

But  there  was  another  phase  of  this  question  of  inequali- 
ty between  white  and  black  troops.  The  policy  of  arming 
Negroes  was  never  contemplated  by  the  Government  until 
military  necessity  lifted  her  stern  voice,  and  political  evolu- 
tion brought  the  Negro  forward  as  the  problem  of  the  war. 
General  Hunter's  idea  in  organizing  Negro  troops  was  to 
use  them  in  taking  possession  of  the  island  plantations  in 
South  Carolina,  and  holding  these  as  a  basis  of  supply  for 
an  operating  army.  Nevertheless,  it  is  due  to  the  memory 
of  this  grand  military  character  to  record  that  from  the 


IN  THE   WAR   OF  THE   REBELLION.  161 

first  he  entertained  the  highest  ideas  of  the  Negro,  both 
as  a  man  and  a  soldier.  The  authority  granted  Governor 
Andrew,  of  Massachusetts,  to  raise  companies  of  troops, 
including  Negroes,  contemplated  using  such  troops  to  gar- 
rison "  the  forts  of  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere."  Adju- 
tant-general Thomas,  in  a  speech  to  the  army  in  Missis- 
sippi, April  8, 1863,  said  he  would  take  the  Negro  "  regi- 
ments and  put  them  in  the  rear."  In  concluding  his  speech 
he  emphasized  his  plan.  "Recollect,"  he  said,  "  for  every 
regiment  of  blacks  I  raise,  I  raise  a  regiment  of  whites  to 
face  the  foe  in  the  field."  This  seemed  to  be  the  policy  of 
the  Government,  and  General  Thomas  was  fully  authorized 
to  speak  and  act  for  both  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the 
President.  This  was  after  the  battles  of  Port  Hudson  and 
Milliken's  Bend ;  and  this  was  practically  the  end  of  the 
fighting  of  Negro  troops  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf. 
These  troops,  both  under  Generals  Butler  and  Banks,  were 
consigned  to  garrison  duty.  In  the  army  of  the  Cumber- 
land Negro  troops  had  the  same  misfortune ;  they  were 
used  in  garrison  and  upon  fatigue  duty  almost  exclusively. 
The  parent  of  this  policy  was  the  cruel  doubt  that  lurked 
in  every  quarter  lest  the  Negro  would  not  fight  in  the  open 
field.  His  military  employment  was  apologized  for  in  some 
quarters  upon  the  ground  that  he  was  to  be  the  merest  serv- 
ant to  the  white  soldier.  The  idea  was  dangerous  and  de- 
grading from  the  first.  The  difference  in  pay  between  the 
white  and  black  troops  was  no  less  damaging  to  the  Gov- 
ernment than  it  was  unjust  to  the  Negro.  It  made  an  un- 
natural distinction  among  patriots  enlisted  in  the  same 
sacred  cause,  and  it  impaired  the  usefulness  of  a  class  of 
troops  who  were  on  trial  before  a  doubting,  sneering  world. 
The  extraordinary  amount  of  fatigue  duty  required  of  these 
troops  seriously  detracted  from  their  military  character. 
Frequently  entire  regiments  were  excused  from  drill,  and 
11 


162  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

were  abandoned  to  almost  total  ignorance  of  the  simplest 
duties  of  a  soldier.  In  a  letter  to  the  officer  in  charge  of 
the  organization  of  Negro  troops  at  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
Colonel  Thomas  J.  Morgan,  of  the  Fourteenth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  said,  under  date  of  December  6, 1863,  from 
Gallatin,  Tennessee,  "  I  feel  so  great  an  interest  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  regiment  which  I  have  the  honor  to  command, 
and  of  the  entire  corps  '  d' Af rique,'  that  I  cannot  refrain 
from  making  another  effort  to  secure  the  return  of  the 
Fourteenth  Regiment  to  this  point.  I  send  you  a  commu- 
nication which  I  desire  to  be  forwarded  to  Major-general 
Thomas,  asking  that  the  regiment  be  ordered  back  to  Gal- 
latin. And  I  would  most  earnestly  ask  that  Major  Stearns 
be  urged  to  use  his  influence  with  the  Secretary  of  War  to 
secure  this  point.  The  raising  of  Negro  Regiments  in  this 
Department  is  an  experiment  as  yet,  and  its  success  depends 
largely  upon  the  impression  made  upon  the  public  mind 
by  those  Regiments  now  formed  and  organizing  during  the 
present  winter."  After  making  some  observations  about 
public  sentiment  concerning  troops  of  this  character,  he 
continued :  "  It  behooves  the  friends  of  this  movement  to 
secure  a  favorable  decision  from  the  great  tribunal — pub- 
lic opinion.  This  cannot  be  done  by  making  laborers  of 
these  Troops.  The  best  of  soldiers  must  needs  work ;  and 
commanders  of  Negro  Regiments  are  willing  that  the 
Troops  under  their  command  shall  do  their  part  in  all 
Army  labor  incident  to  Ca'mp  life,  or  required  by  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  hour.  But  they  feel  it  to  be  degrading  to 
single  out  Colored  Troops  for  fatigue  duty,  while  white 
soldiers  stand  idly  by.  Such  treatment  savors  too  much 
"of  the  old  regime,  and  if  persisted  in  will  utterly  ruin  the 
prospects  of  the  work  of  here  making  soldiers  of  black 
men.  Negroes  will  not  enlist  for  this  purpose,  nor  will 
efficient  officers  enter  the  service.  The  class  of  men  who 


IN   TI1E   WAR   OF  THE   REBELLION.  163 

are  willing  to  take  hold,  with  all  their  energies,  to  drill 
and  discipline  a  body  of  soldiers  will  not,  for  any  con- 
sideration, consent  to  become  overseers  for  black  men. 
Rather  would  they  carry  their  rifles  in  the  ranks  of  fight- 
ing men." 

No  response  came,  and  Colonel  Morgan,  nothing  daunted, 
wrote  a  letter  to  Major-general  Reynolds,  at  Washington, 
D.  C.,  bearing  date  of  December  6, 1863  : 

"  Allow  me  to  ask  that,  if  not  inconsistent  with  the  pub- 
lic service,  the  six  companies  of  the  Regiment  I  have  the 
honor  to  command,  which  are  now  at  Bridgeport,  Alabama, 
doing  fatigue  duty,  be  ordered  back  to  Gallatin  for  the  pur- 
pose of  drill,  discipline,  and  the  legitimate  duties  of  the  sol- 
dier, for  the  work  which  the  Government  expects  the  sol- 
dier to  perform. 

"  The  Government,  through  its  executive,  has  said  that 
it  knows  no  distinction  among  its  soldiers  arising  from 
Color.  It  was  with  the  clear  understanding  that  the  offi- 
cers and  men  of  Colored  Regiments  were  to  be  treated  in 
every  respect  as  white  soldiers  that  I  and  those  officers 
with  me  accepted  the  positions  we  now  hold.  We  are 
proud  of  such  places,  and  are  willing  to  devote  all  our 
energies  to  drill,  discipline,  and  instruct  Colored  men  in 
their  duty  as  soldiers  /  but  rather  would  I  carry  my  rifle 
in  the  ranks  of  fighting  men  than  hold  any  position  as 
overseer  of  black  laborers. 

"  I  will  very  cheerfully  perform  my  proportion  of  the 
labor  required  by  the  exigencies  of  the  hour,  but  I  do  not 
feel  that  it  is  just,  either  to  officers  or  men,  to  require 
Colored  Regiments  to  perform  fatigue  duty  for  other 
troops. 

"  The  Government  is  in  need  of  fighting  men,  and  it  pro- 
poses to  form  Regiments  of  such  out  of  the  numerous  able- 
bodied  black  men  in  the  enemy's  land.  To  make  these 


164  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

men  efficient  soldiers  will  require  rigid  discipline,  careful 
instruction,  and  untiring  drill.  This  will  be  impossible  so 
long  a&  they  are  used  as  common  laborers." 

No  officer  of  Negro  troops  ever  entertained  loftier  sen- 
timents or  sounder  views  of  their  military  status  than  Colo- 
nel Morgan.  He  had  sounded  the  key-note ;  and  other 
white  officers  in  these  organizations,  although  lacking  his 
moral  and  intellectual  breadth,  saw  at  once  that  the  brave 
men  they  commanded  were  not  fairly  dealt  with.  The  dis- 
crimination became  notorious  in  every  department  where 
Negro  troops  were  stationed,  and  the  newspaper  corre- 
spondents joined  in  an  earnest  protest  against  the  injustice. 
Public  sentiment  was  changing  all  the  time.  Adjutant- 
general  Thomas  became  convinced  at  last  that  the  policy 
of  converting  Negro  regiments  into  squads  of  laborers  was 
unjust  and  detrimental,  and  issued  the  following  order : 

"The  incorporation  into  the  army  of  the  United  States  of  Colored 
Troops  renders  it  necessary  that  they  should  be  brought  as  speedily  as 
possible  to  the  highest  state  of  discipline. 

"Accordingly,  the  practice  which  has  hitherto  prevailed,  no  doubt 
from  necessity,  of  requiring  these  troops  to  perform  most  of  the  labor 
on  fortifications,  and  the  labor  and  fatigue  duties  of  permanent  sta- 
tions and  camps,  will  cease,  and  they  will  be  only  required  to  take 
their  fair  share  of  fatigue  duty  with  white  troops.  This  is  necessary 
to  prepare  them  for  the  higher  duties  of  conflicts  with  the  enemy. 

"By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

"L.  THOMAS, 

"Adjutant-general." 

In  the  Department  of  the  South  the  Negro  soldier  was 
often  used  to  do  fatigue  duty  for  white  troops,  and  this 
became  so  notorious  that  it  called  forth  the  following 
order : 

"Department  of  the  South,  Headquarters  in  the  Field, 

"  Morris  Island,  South  Carolina,  September  17, 1863. 
"  General  Orders  No.  77. 

"I.  It  has  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Brigadier-general  Com- 
manding that  detachments  of  colored  troops,  detailed  for  fatigue  duty, 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        165 

have  been  employed,  in  one  instance  at  least,  to  prepare  camps  and 
perform  menial  duty  for  white  troops.  Such  use  of  these  details  is 
unauthorized  and  improper,  and  is  hereafter  expressly  prohibited. 
Commanding  Officers  of  colored  regiments  are  directed  to  report 
promptly  to  these  Headquarters  any  violations  of  this  order  which 
may  come  to  their  knowledge. " 

And  the  following  order  was  subsequently  issued,  show- 
ing that  General  Gillmore  intended  to  put  a  etop  to  this 
abuse  of  colored  troops : 

"  Department  of  the  Sonth,  Headquarters  in  -the  Field, 

"  Folly  Island,  South  Carolina,  November  25, 1863. 
"  General  Orders  No.  105. 

"I.  The  Major-general  Commanding  has  heretofore  had  occasion 
to  rebuke  officers  of  this  command  for  imposing  improper  labors  upon 
colored  troops.  He  is  now  informed  that  the  abuses  sought  to  be  cor- 
rected still  exist.  Attention  is  called  to  General  Order  No.  77,  current 
series,  from  these  Headquarters,  and  commanding  officers  are  enjoined 
to  its  strict  enforcement.  Colored  troops  will  not  be  required  to  per- 
form any  labor  which  is  not  shared  by  the  white  troops,  but  will  re- 
ceive in  all  respects  the  same  treatment,  and  be  allowed  the  same  op- 
portunities for  drill  and  instruction." 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1863,  Horace  Greeley  wrote  the 
following  admirable  views  respecting  the  use  of  Negro 
troops  in  garrison : 

"  It  has  been  supposed  that  these  black  troops  would 
prove  fitter  for  garrison  duty  than  active  service  in  the 
field.  No  impression  could  be  more  mistaken.  Their 
fidelity  as  sentinels  adapts  them  especially,  no  doubt,  to 
garrison  duty,  but  their  natural  place  is  in  the  advance. 
There  is  an  inherent  dash  and  fire  about  them  which 
white  troops  of  more  sluggish  Northern  blood  do  not 
emulate,  and  their  hearty  enthusiasm  shows  itself  in  all 
ways.  Such  qualities  are  betrayed  even  in  drill,  as  any- 
body may  know  who  has  witnessed  the  dull,  mechanical 
way  in  which  ordinary  troops  make  a  bayonet  charge  on 
the  parade-ground,  and  contrasts  it  with  the  spirit  of 


166  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

those  Negro  troops  in  the  same  movement.  They  are  to 
be  used,  moreover,  in  a  country  which  they  know  per- 
fectly. Merely  from  their  knowledge  of  wood-craft  and 
water-craft,  it  would  be  a  sheer  waste  of  material  to  keep 
them  in  garrison.  It  is  scarcely  the  knowledge  which  is 
at  once  indispensable  and  impossible  to  be  acquired  by 
our  troops.  See  these  men,  and  it  is  easier  to  understand 
the  material  of  which  the  famous  Chasseurs  d'Afrique  are 
composed." 

Garrison  life  is  trying  and  tempting  to  the  best  troops, 
and  it  is  not  infrequently  positively  demoralizing.  The 
largest  portion  of  these  troops  had  been  recruited  from 
the  plantations ;  they  were  enthusiastic  arid  eager  to  en- 
ter upon  the  active  service  and  practical  duties  of  mili- 
tary life.  It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  they  should  be 
restive,  sullen,  and  sometimes  insubordinate  —  for  their 
officers  were  not  exempt  from  the  insidious  influences 
of  the  permanent  camp.  It  is  a  mournful  fact  that  the 
Fourth  Regiment  of  the  Corps  d'Afrique,  garrisoning 
Fort  Jackson,  on  the  Mississippi  River,  was  guilty  of 
many  a  wide  breach  of  military  discipline.  But  even  in 
this  most  notable  case  the  cause  was  the  inefficiency  of 
officers.  There  were  other  cases  of  lax  discipline  among 
these  troops,  but  the  order  of  the  Adjutant-general  sent 
them  to  the  drill  -  ground,  and  within  one  hundred  days 
they  were  absolutely  transformed.  Elevated  by  the  maj- 
esty of  law  to  the  actual  position  of  soldiers  of  a  proud 
republic,  receiving  the  same  amount  of  remuneration  in 
bounty,  wages,  rations,  and  clothing,  and  equally  and  un- 
reservedly intrusted  with  the  national  honor  and  charged 
with  the  public  defence,  the  heart  of  the  Negro  army  was 
instinct  with  gratitude,  pride,  and  martial  valor. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         167 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NEGRO  IDIOSYNCRACIES. 

THE  Negro  is  a  strong  man  physically ;  Nature  has  en- 
dowed him  with  marvellous  strength  of  limb  and  constitu- 
tion. The  color  of  skin,  texture  of  hair,  solidity  of  cra- 
nium, and  perfect  teeth  are  his  safeguards  against  the 
malignant  forces  of  the  climate  of  Africa.  Transplanted, 
he  bears  well  the  semi-tropical  climate  of  the  Southern 
United  States. 

Generations  of  servitude  did  not  impair  his  physical 
virtues,  but  rather  enhanced  them.  He  was  proof  against 
the  intensest  heat  and  most  deadly  fevers,  and  could  en- 
dure the  pangs  of  hunger  and  thirst  with  peerless  forti- 
tude. His  teeth  were  representative  of  unusually  sound 
bones  throughout  a  massive  body.  Nature  gave  him  clear 
and  sharp  eyes  for  nature.  His  acute  hearing  warned  him 
of  danger  and  devoured  every  strain  of  music,  whether  in 
the  sublime  disturbance  of  the  elements  or  in  the  touch- 
ing, pathetic  song  or  story  of  his  fellows. 

To  the  physical  perfections  of  the  Negro  were  added 
mental  endowments  not  to  be  despised.  The  Negro  has  an 
amiable  disposition,  a  sunny  nature,  and  a  happy-go-lucky 
spirit  under  the  most  trying  circumstances.  He  is  gentle, 
submissive,  teachable,  and  strongly  attached  to  those  who 
treat  him  with  kindness.  But  he  is  no  coward.  He  is  not 
easily  provoked  into  violent  exhibitions  of  temper,  but 
when  aroused  cannot  easily  be  soothed.  He  is  thoroughly 
unselfish,  and  is  constant  as  a  friend.  He  is  patient  and 


168  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

docile  in  suffering  and  in  loss,  and  his  spirit  is  one  of  res- 
ignation and  contentment.  His  domesticity  is  proverbial, 
and  his  affection  for  persons  and  places  has  often  worn  the 
charm  of  genuine  poetry.  His  bright  fancy  and  romantic 
thoughts  lead  him  to  the  enjoyment  of  fiction  and  poetry ; 
and  if  to  his  rare  native  ability  had  been  added  the  culture 
of  the  academy,  both  fiction  and  poetry  would  have  been  his 
debtors.  His  devotion  to  an  interest  he  espouses  is  abso- 
lute. His  service  to  a  sentiment,  whether  of  friendship, 
love,  or  religion,  is  enthusiastic  and  noble.  He  is  senti- 
mental in  the  best  sense.  Like  all  unlettered  races,  the 
Negro  as  a  slave  was  very  superstitious,  especially  in 
matters  which  philosophy  and  science  explain  to  educated 
races.  In  religious  matters  he  was  the  trustful  child, 
grasping  eagerly  the  great  primal  truths — man  a  sinner, 
Christ  a  savior.  His  orthodoxy  may  not  have  been  up  to 
the  standard  of  the  schools,  but  he  believed  unhesitatingly 
in  the  impotency  of  man  and  the  omnipotence  of  God. 

Unable  to  harness  his  thoughts  to  the  polished  and  bal- 
anced phrases  of  refined  expression,  the  Negro  turned  the 
impetuous  current  of  his  feeling  into  rhyme.  He  did  not 
speak,  he  gurgled,  cried,  and  sang  out  of  his  soul.  A  pe- 
culiar intonation  held  fellowship  with  his  verse — pleading, 
tender,  pathetic,  heroic,  and  sometimes  sublime  —  always 
interesting.  His  rich  voice  could  mount  the  highest  scale 
and  reach  the  deepest  note.  It  had  a  tremulous  sweetness 
in  it  that  revealed  its  kinship  to  sorrow,  but  at  times  it 
rang  with  a  hope  and  spiritual  valiancy.  His  unique 
proverbs  and  quaint  sayings  are  pregnant  with  meaning, 
wit,  and  philosophy ;  they  will  occupy  a  curious  and  in- 
teresting place  in  the  folk-lore  of  the  world. 

The  Negro's  love  of  music  and  song  taught  him  the 
poetry  of  movement,  and  his  grace,  under  the  influence  of 
music,  was  quite  captivating  in  a  laborer.  His  movement 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        169 

in  field  or  cabin,  at  toil  or  in  recreation,  marked  him  as 
alert  and  full  of  fine  spirit. 

That  the  Negro  had  blemishes  upon  his  body  and  char- 
acter history  does  not  assume  to  deny.  Overworked, 
poorly  fed,  partially  clothed,  wretchedly  housed,  and  cruel- 
ly treated,  his  body  grew  ill-shaped. 

Petty  stealing  and  persistent  prevarication  were  prompt- 
ed by  hunger  and  fear,  and  not  by  the  Negro's  normal 
moral  nature.  The  apparent  wanton  violation  of  the  sev- 
enth commandment  was  traceable  to  the  demolition  of  the 
family  altar  by  the  slave-holders.  If  he  were  cruel  to 
his  offspring  at  times,  it  was  but  under  the  occasional  in- 
fluence of  the  organized  cruelty  of  a  most  cruel  institution. 
It  was  sporadic,  not  generic ;  the  exception  and  not  the 
rule  of  his  conduct.  But  his  genuine  religious  bias  helped 
him  over  many  difficult  places,  stayed  his  hand,  checked 
his  temper,  and  turned  his  feet  from  temptation  when, 
otherwise,  he  would  have  succumbed  to  his  trials  and 
dangers.  His  obedience  to  law  was  unquestioning  and 
uncomplaining. 

Taken  for  all  in  all,  the  Negro  slave  was  a  remarkable 
personage.  His  powerful  physique,  his  celerity  and  po- 
etry of  movement,  his  sentiment  and  love  of  music,  his 
firm  attachment  to  friends,  his  deep  longing  for  freedom, 
his  splendid  courage  and  power  of  endurance,  his  patience 
in  suffering  and  hope  in  despair,  his  trust  in  God  and  in- 
stinct for  the  right,  his  cunning  aptitude  and  perfect  obe- 
dience eminently  qualified  him  for  military  service  in  the 
imperilled  cause  of  the  Union  in  the  War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion. 


170  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE     OUTLOOK. 

EVEN  after  the  Negro  had  obtained  the  uniform  and 
musket  of  a  Union  soldier  he  was  persistently  denied  pub- 
lic confidence.  His  enslavement  bj  the  dominant  race 
for  centuries  furnished  no  illustration  of  racial  valor.  A 
few  irascible  Negroes  had  inaugurated  puny  insurrections, 
but  they  were  destitute  of  that  element  of  enlightened 
courage  which  invests  revolutions  for  liberty  with  invinci- 
ble power..  Jt.  was  asked  if  the  Negro  have  courage  why 
has  he  not  show,H;it  during  the  last  two  centuries  ?  There 
was  no  room  for  defence,  little  for  apology.  It  was  true 
that  their  numbers  were  inconsiderable  and  their  leaders 
few.  As  rapidly  as  leaders  developed  they  disappeared. 
The  Underground  Railroad  was  the  safety-valve  to  the  in- 
stitution of  slavery,  else  it  would  have  been  blown  into 
atoms.  These  fugitive  slaves  became  agitators  at  the 
North,  and  assisted  in  bringing  about  the  condition  of  af- 
fairs in  which  bullets  took  the  place  of  books,  and  cannon 
supplanted  counsel. 

Even  the  most  advanced  leaders  on  the  Union  side,  the 
antislavery  friends  of  the  Negro,  were  neither  willing  to 
affirm  nor  deny  the  Negro's  courage  in  a  military  encoun- 
ter. A  very  few  well-informed  persons  felt  quite  sure  of 
the  Negro's  fighting  qualities  under  any  circumstance. 
They  knew  the  past,  and  were  enabled  to  predicate  their 
belief  upon  incontestable  historical  data.  But  the  Negro 
was  a  soldier  now,  and  there  was  but  one  thing  left  to  do, 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         171 

and  that  was  to  try  his  mettle  under  fire.  On  the  16th  of 
February,  1863,  the  New  York  Times,  in  a  careful  and 
conservative  editorial,  expressed  the  doubt  that  seemed  to 
oppress  the  public  mind : 

"  Whether  they  are  or  are  not,  by  nature,  by  law,  or  by 
usage,  the  equals  of  the  white  man,  makes  not  the  slight- 
est difference  in  this  respect.  Even  those  at  the  North 
who  are  so  terribly  shocked  at  the  prospect  of  their  being 
thus  employed  confine  their  objections  to  grounds  of  ex- 
pediency. They  urge, 

"  1st.  That  the  Negroes  will  not  fight.  This,  if  true, 
is  conclusive  against  their  being  used  as  soldiers.  But  we 
see  no  way  of  testing  the  question  except  by  trying  the 
experiment.  It  will  take  but  a  very  short  time  and  but 
very  few  battles  to  determine  whether  they  have  courage, 
steadiness,  subjection  to  military  discipline,  and  the  other 
qualities  essential  to  good  soldiership  or  not.  If  they  have, 
this  objection  will  fall ;  if  not,  then  beyond  all  question 
they  will  cease  to  be  employed. 

"  2d.  It  is  said  that  the  whites  will  not  fight  with  them, 
that  the  prejudice  against  them  is  so  strong  that  our 
citizens  will  not  enlist,  or  will  quit  the  service  if  com- 
pelled to  fight  by  their  side,  and  that  we  shall  thus  lose 
two  white  soldiers  for  one  black  one  that  we  gain.  If 
this  is  true  they  ought  not  to  be  employed.  The  object 
of  using  them  is  to  strengthen  our  military  force,  and  if 
the  project  does  not  accomplish  this  it  is  a  failure.  The 
question,  moreover,  is  one  of  fact,  not  of  theory.  It  mat- 
ters nothing  to  say  that  it  ought  not  to  have  this  effect, 
that  the  prejudice  is  absurd  and  should  not  be  consulted. 
The  point  is  not  what  men  ought  to  do,  but  what  they 
will  do.  We  have  to  deal  with  human  nature,  with  prej- 
udice, with  passion,  with  habits  of  thought  and  feeling,  as 
well  as  with  reason  and  sober  judgment  and  the  moral 


172  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

sense.  Possibly  the  Government  may  have  made  a  mis- 
take in  its  estimate  of  the  effect  of  this  measure  on  the 
public  mind.  The  use  of  Negroes  as  soldiers  may  have  a 
worse  effect  on  the  army  and  on  the  people  than  they  have 
supposed. 

"  But  this  is  matter  of  opinion  upon  which  men  have 
differed.  Yery  prominent  and  influential  persons — Gov- 
ernors of  States,  Senators,  popular  editors,  and  others — 
have  predicted  the  best  results  from  such  a  measure,  while 
others  have  anticipated  the  worst.  The  President  has  re- 
solved to  try  the  experiment.  If  it  works  well,  the  coun- 
try will  be  the  gainer.  If  not,  we  have  no  doubt  it  will 
be  abandoned.  If  the  effect  of  using  Negroes  as  soldiers 
upon  the  army  and  the  country  proves  to  be  depressing 
and  demoralizing,  so  as  to  weaken  rather  than  strengthen 
our  military  operations,  they  will  cease  to  be  employed. 
The  President  is  a  practical  man,  not  at  all  disposed  to  sac- 
rifice practical  results  to  abstract  theories. 

"  3d.  It  is  said  we  shall  get  no  Negroes — or  not  enough 
to  prove  of  any  service.  In  the  free  States  very  few  will 
volunteer,  and  in  the  slave  States  we  can  get  but  few,  be- 
cause the  Rebels  will  push  them  southward  as  fast  as  we 
advance  upon  them.  This  may  be  so;  we  confess  we 
share  with  many  others  the  opinion  that  it  will. 

"  But  we  may  as  well  wait  patiently  the  short  time  re- 
quired to  settle  the  point.  When  we  hear  more  definitely 
from  Governor  Sprague's  black  battalions,  and  Governor 
Andrew's  Negro  brigades,  we  shall  know  more  accurately 
what  to  think  of  the  measure  as  one  for  the  free  States; 
and  when  we  hear  further  of  the  success  of  General 
Banks  and  General  Saxton  in  enlisting  them  at  the  South, 
we  can  form  a  better  judgment  of  the  movement  there. 
If  we  get  very  few,  or  even  none,  the  worst  that  can  be 
said  will  be  that  the  project  is  a  failure,  and  the  demon- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        173 

stration  that  it  is  so  will  have  dissipated  another  of  the 
many  delusions  which  dreamy  people  have  cherished  about 
this  war. 

"4th.  The  use  of  Negroes  will  exasperate  the  South, 
and  some  of  our  Peace  Democrats  make  that  an  objection 
to  the  measure.  We  presume  it  will ;  but  so  will  any 
other  scheme  we  may  adopt  which  is  warlike  and  effective 
in  its  character  and  results.  If  that  consideration  is  to 
govern  us,  we  must  follow  Mr.  Vallandigham's  advice  and 
stop  the  war  entirely,  or,  as  Mr.  McMasters  puts  it  in  his 
Newark  speech,  go  '  for  an  immediate  and  unconditional 
peace.'  We  are  not  quite  ready  for  that  yet. 

"  The  very  best  thing  that  can  be  done  under  existing 
circumstances,  in  our  judgment,  is  to  possess  our  souls  in 
patience  while  the  experiment  is  being  tried.  The  problem 
will  probably  speedily  solve  itself — much  more  speedily 
than  heated  discussion  or  harsh  criminations  can  solve  it." 

But  this  was  not  all — this  cold,  silent  doubt — that  con- 
fronted the  Negro.  This  was  but  the  negative  side  of 
the  obstacles  that  obstructed  his  way  to  the  battle-fields 
of  the  Republic.  The  mobocratic  element  in  the  larger 
cities  was  always  at  the  service  of  Negro-haters  who  vio- 
lently opposed  the  military  employment  of  Negroes.  Up 
to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  Negroes  had  not 
only  been  sold  at  the  South,  but  freely  mobbed  in  the 
North ;  along  with  Abolitionists  they  were  despised, 
proscribed,  and  assaulted.  So  when  the  exigencies  of  a 
great  civil  war  seemed  to  call  the  Negro  from  obscurity 
and  the  dark  places  assigned  him  by  race  prejudice,  he 
was  confronted  by  intense  malevolence.  It  was  indeed  a 
strange  spectacle  to  see  a  regiment  of  Negro  soldiers 
guarded  by  a  municipal  police  force!  When  the  Fifty- 
fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry  was  ready  to 
leave  the  Commonwealth  for  the  seat  of  war,  it  was  de- 


174  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

termined  to  have  it  pass  through  New  York  City ;  but 
the  "  Chief  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  Force  "  telegraphed 
Governor  Andrew,  of  Massachusetts,  that  he  would  be  un- 
able to  protect  this  regiment  of  loyal  Negroes  against 
mob  violence.  The  regiment  did  not  pass  through  New 
York  City,  but  went  from  Boston  to  the  scene  of  war  in 
South  Carolina  by  water. 

The  Draft  Riots  had  occurred  in  New  York  and  else- 
where while  the  recruitment  of  Negro  troops  was  in  a 
tentative  form  in  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States,  and  the 
objects  of  the  rioters'  special  wrath  were  inoffensive  Ne- 
gro men,  defenceless  women,  and  helpless  children.  The 
Draft  Riots  in  New  York  City  began  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, July  13, 1863.  There  will  be  no  attempt  here  to  de- 
scribe the  infuriated  mobs  that  destroyed  human  life  and 
property  in  their  resistance  to  the  draft,  but  only  so  much 
of  the  bloody  drama  must  be  told  as  affects  the  Negro 
martyrs.  Nowhere  did  the  fury  of  the  mob  flame  more 
furiously  than  in  the  abodes  of  Negroes.  Restaurants 
and  hotels  and  other  places  where  this  unhappy  people 
were  employed  were  visited  with  fell  destruction.  The 
furniture  and  tableware  were  destroyed,  while  the  Negroes 
were  driven  before  a  storm  of  oaths,  bludgeons,  and  brick- 
bats. From  place  to  place  where  Negroes  were  known  to 
be  employed  the  mob  swayed  and  swaggered  with  increas- 
ing insolence  and  cruelty.  Negroes  were  constrained  to 
run  for  their  lives,  leap  into  the  river,  and  cast  themselves 
from  their  hiding-places  on  roofs  of  houses.  A  Negro 
residing  in  Carmine  Street  was  seized  by  a  mob  of  above 
four  hundred  persons  as  he  was  leaving  his  stables  on 
Clarkson  Street.  He  was  beaten  and  kicked  upon  the 
ground  until  life  was  almost  extinct ;  he  was  then  hung 
upon  a  tree,  and  a  fire  was  built  under  him,  which  revived 
his  consciousness,  while  the  smoke  strangled  him. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         175 

In  the  afternoon  an  up-town  mob  was  destroying  every 
building  where  Negroes  were  known  to  be  employed.  In 
the  midst  of  their  diabolical  work  some  human  fiend 
cried,  "  To  the  Colored  Orphan  Asylum !"  Celtic  malice 
and  religious  intolerance  led  the  way  with  frantic  glee. 
The  asylum  was  a  handsome  and  substantial  structure, 
having  been  erected  in  1858.  It  was  located  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  between  Forty-third  and  Forty-fourth  streets, 
and  gave  shelter  to  nearly  eight  hundred  children.  The 
mob  fell  upon  this  building  with  fury  untempered  by 
mercy.  The  rooms  were  sacked,  the  spoils  thrown  out  to 
a  multitude  of  Irishwomen,  who,  amid  wild  cheers,  bore 
them  away  in  triumph.  The  inmates  were  beaten  most 
cruelly,  and  even  the  little  children  were  kicked  and  ruth- 
lessly trampled  upon.  To  crown  this  inhuman  crime,  ar- 
son was  added  to  murder,  and  the  building  was  fired.  The 
gallant  Chief  Decker  resisted  the  mob  with  martial  spirit. 
He  extinguished  the  flames  and  threw  his  stalwart  person 
into  the  door-way  to  check  the  mob.  His  noble  remon- 
strance was  in  vain ;  he  was  overpowered,  and  again  the 
fire-fiends  applied  the  torch,  and  the  building  perished  in 
the  flames. 

Among  the  ignorant  and  prejudiced  whites  the  Negro 
was  regarded  as  the  real  cause  of  the  draft,  and  this  dem- 
onstration of  murderous  violence  against  him  was  as 
hurtful  to  a  patriotic  war  sentiment  as  it  was  perilous  to 
the  Negro  himself;  and  it  was  especially  unfortunate 
that  it  came  at  a  time  when  the  Negro  had  just  been 
called  to  the  bar  of  public  sentiment.  The  Emancipation 
Proclamation  of  September  22,  1862,  which  was  prelim- 
inary in  character,  had  made  the  Negro  problem  more 
prominent  than  ever,  and  provoked  public  criticisms.  The 
probationary  period  had  elapsed,  and  the  final  Emancipation 
Proclamation  had  been  issued  on  the  1st  of  January,  1863. 


176  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

It  was  midsummer  now,  and  these  bloody  riots  told 
how  deeply  rooted  and  inveterate  were  race  malice,  and 
party  grudges.  These  were  not  manifested  exclusively  by 
the  mobs,  not  alone  by  the  ignorant,  foreign-born  popula- 
tion. Men  born  and  educated  under  the  influence  of  the 
beneficent  institutions  of  the  great  republic  here  and  in  the 
West ;  men  who  owed  their  preferment  and  commanding 
positions  to  the  simplicity  and  genuine  democracy  of  the 
Government,  were  either  the  hired  enemies  of  the  Union 
or  the  willing  assassins  of  the  national  life.  Too  coward- 
ly to  stake  their  convictions  upon  the  chances  of  honora- 
ble warfare,  they  lurked  in  the  rear  to  plot.  They  hissed 
the  Union  soldier,  despised  the  Union  flag,  and,  as  copper- 
heads, crawled  upon  their  stomachs,  hissing  and  biting  at 
the  heels  of  Union  men  and  Union  measures.  No  lan- 
guage was  too  strong  to  express  their  hatred  of  the  Negro 
and  their  opposition  to  his  enrolment  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States.  These  men,  like  the  serpent  in  Eden,  were 
very  plausible,  and  the  field  in  which  they  operated  was  at 
a  safe  distance  from  the  contending  armies.  Even  the 
home  of  the  President  contained  many  of  these  plotters. 
In  responding  to  an  invitation  of  unconditional  Union  men 
of  Illinois,  the  President  made  the  following  reference  to 
the  enemies  of  the  Negro :  "  You  say  you  will  not  fight  to 
free  Negroes.  Some  of  them  seem  to  be  willing  enough  to 
fight  for  you.  But  no  matter ;  they  fight,  then,  exclusively 
to  save  the  Union.  I  issued  the  Proclamation  on  purpose 
to  aid  you  in  saving  the  Union.  Whenever  you  shall  have 
conquered  all  resistance  to  the  Union,  if  I  shall  urge  upon 
you  to  continue  fighting,  it  will  be  an  apt  time  then  for 
you  to  declare  that  you  will  not  fight  to  free  Negroes.  I 
thought  that  in  your  struggle  for  the  Union,  to  whatever 
extent  the  Negroes  should  cease  helping  the  enemy,  to  that 
extent  it  weakened  the  enemy  in  their  resistance  to  you. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        177 

"  Do  you  think  differently  ?  I  thought  that  whatever 
Negroes  can  be  got  to  do  as  soldiers  leaves  just  so  much 
less  for  white  soldiers  to  do  in  saving  the  Union.  Does  it 
appear  otherwise  to  you  ?  But  Negroes,  like  other  people, 
act  upon  motive.  "Why  should  they  do  anything  for  us, 
if  we  will  do  nothing  for  them  ?  If  they  stake  their  lives 
for  us,  they  must  be  prompted  by  the  strongest  motive, 
even  the  promise  of  freedom,  and  the  promise  being  made, 
must  be  kept." 

This  was  written  on  the  26th  of  August,  1863,  just  after 
the  Draft  Riots.  The  President  goes  on  in  his  letter  to 
recount  the  victories  of  the  Union  arms  in  the  Mississippi, 
and  makes  felicitous  mention  of  the  glorious  part  borne 
by  Negro  soldiers  who  were  severely  tested  at  Port  Hud- 
son. The  President  then  concludes  in  this  homely  man- 
ner, referring  to  the  early  restoration  of  peace : 

"It  will  then  have  been  proved  that  among  freemen 
there  can  be  no  successful  appeal  from  the  ballot  to  the 
bullet,  and  that  they  who  take  such  appeal  are  sure  to  lose 
their  case  and  pay  the  costs ;  and  then  there  will  be  some 
black  men  who  can  remember  that,  with  silent  tongue,  and 
with  clinched  teeth,  and  with  steady  eye  and  well-poised 
bayonet,  they  have  helped  mankind  on  to  this  great  con- 
summation, while  I  fear  that  there  will  be  some  white 
men  unable  to  forget  that,  with  malignant  heart  and  de- 
ceitful speech,  they  have  striven  to  hinder  it." 

But  the  feeling  against  the  Negro  as  a  man  and  a  sol- 
dier was  not  confined  to  the  blatant  assistant — rebels  in  the 
rear.  There  was  a  bitter  feeling  in  the  Border  State  regi- 
ments and  among  troops  from  the  populous  Atlantic  sea- 
board cities.  Complexional  prejudice  and  social  caste  were 
eating  like  cankers  into  the  good-sense  and  patriotism  of 
the  rank  and  file  of  the  army ;  and  it  was  not  a  cheerful 
outlook  for  the  Negro  volunteer  to  feel  that  his  white 
12 


178  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

comrades  in  arms  looked  down  upon  him,  distrusted  him, 
disliked  him.  The  cold  fact  was  there,  however,  and  the 
Negro  sometimes  encountered  it  to  his  hurt.  But  the  Negro 
soldier  was  patient ;  all  he  asked  was  safe  passage  to  the 
battle-field,  and  once  in  conflict  with  the  enemy  he  would 
win  for  himself  a  new  name  by  desperate  deeds  of  valor. 

On  the  8th  of  December,  1863,  in  a  message  to  the  Con- 
gress, the  President  referred  to  the  Negro  question  in  his 
usual  solemn  manner :  "  The  preliminary  emancipation 
proclamation  issued  in  September  was  running  its  assigned 
period  to  the  beginning  of  the  new  year.  A  month  later 
the  final  proclamation  came,  including  the  announcement 
that  colored  men  of  suitable  condition  would  be  received 
into  the  war  service.  The  policy  of  emancipation  and  of 
employing  black  soldiers  gave  to  the  future  a  new  aspect, 
about  which  hope  and  fear  and  doubt  contended  in  un- 
certain conflict.  According  to  our  political  system,  as  a 
matter  of  civil  administration,  the  General  Government  had 
no  lawful  power  to  effect  emancipation  in  any  State,  and 
for  a  long  time  it  had  been  hoped  that  the  rebellion  could 
be  suppressed  without  resorting  to  it  as  a  military  measure. 
It  was  all  the  while  deemed  possible  that  the  necessity  for 
it  might  come,  and  that,  if  it  should,  the  crisis  of  the  con- 
test would  then  be  presented.  It  came,  and,  as  we  antici- 
pated, it  was  followed  by  dark  and  doubtful  days." 

But  there  was  a  gradual  change  all  the  time  for  the  bet- 
ter in  public  sentiment  regarding  the  Negro.  Even  New 
York  City  was  susceptible  to  the  widening  influences  of 
humanity  and  patriotism.  A  short  time  after  the  riots  Ne- 
groes were  recruited  in  the  metropolis,  and  by  the  spring 
of  1864  were  quite  tolerable  to  the  late  rioters.  When  the 
Twentieth  Regiment  United  States  Colored  Troops  was 
ready  to  leave  its  rendezvous  on  Hiker's  Island,  it  was  pro- 
posed by  its  friends — chiefly  members  of  the  Union  League 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  179 

Club — to  tender  it  a  public  reception  in  New  York  City. 
Some  members  of  the  committee  on  recruitment  of  Negro 
troops  were  unwilling  to  expose  the  regiment  to  the  ran- 
corous hate  of  the  mobocratic  element  of  New  York  City, 
and  protested  against  any  demonstration.  The  committee 
wrote  the  commander  of  the  regiment,  Colonel  Nelson  B. 
Bartram,  asking  if  he  thought  his  regiment  could  get 
through  all  right.  Colonel  Bartram  sent  back  a  soldierly 
answer :  "  Give  me  room  to  land  my  regiment,  and  if  it  can- 
not march  through  New  York  it  is  not  fit  to  go  into  the 
field."  The  question  of  the  regiment  coming  was  settled. 
The  police  cleared  a  space  for  it  to  disembark  at  Thirty- 
sixth  Street,  and  with  loaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets, 
with  company  front  and  martial  music,  the  first  regiment 
of  Negro  soldiers  marched  through  New  York  City.  The 
magnificent  bearing  of  the  men  extorted  the  wildest  en- 
thusiasm and  cheers  among  the  very  persons  who  had 
participated  in  the  Draft  Riots. 

"  The  scene  of  yesterday,"  says  a  New  York  paper,  "  was 
one  which  marks  an  era  of  progress  in  the  political  and 
social  history  of  New  York.  A  thousand  men  with  black 
skins,  and  clad  and  equipped  with  the  uniforms  and  arms 
of  the  United  States  Government,  inarched  from  their  camp 
through  the  most  aristocratic  and  busy  streets,  received  a 
grand  ovation  at  the  hands  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  re- 
spectable ladies  and  gentlemen  of  New  York,  and  then 
moved  down  Broadway  to  the  steamer  which  bears  them 
to  their  destination — all  amid  the  enthusiastic  cheers,  the 
encouraging  plaudits,  the  waving  handkerchiefs,  the  show- 
ering bouquets,  and  other  approving  manifestations  of  a 
hundred  thousand  of  the  most  loyal  of  our  people. 

"  In  the  month  of  July  last  the  homes  of  these  people 
were  burned  and  pillaged  by  an  infuriated  political  mob ; 
they  and  their  families  were  hunted  down  and  murdered 


180  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

in  the  public  streets  of  this  city,  and  the  force  and  maj- 
esty of  the  law  were  powerless  to  protect  them.  Seven 
brief  months  have  passed,  and  a  thousand  of  these  despised 
and  persecuted  men  march  through  the  city  in  the  garb  of 
United  States  soldiers,  in  vindication  of  their  own  man- 
hood, and  with  the  approval  of  a  countless  multitude — in 
effect,  saving  from  inevitable  and  distasteful  conscription 
the  same  number  of  those  who  hunted  their  persons  and 
destroyed  their  homes  during  those  days  of  humiliation  and 
disgrace.  This  is  noble  vengeance — a  vengeance  taught  by 
Him  who  commanded,  '  Love  them  that  hate  you ;  do  good 
to  them  that  persecute  you.' " 

But  the  most  appalling  fact  that  stared  the  Negro  sol- 
dier in  the  face  was  an  Act  of  the  Confederate  Congress 
denying  him  the  immunity  of  a  prisoner  of  war.  He  was 
threatened  with  summary  vengeance.  He  had  enemies  in 
his  rear  and  enemies  in  his  front.  When  asked  if,  in  their 
opinion,  the  Negro  soldier  would  fight,  the  men  who  were 
forced  to  accept  his  enlistment  as  a  heroic  war  measure 
damned  him  with  faint  praise — with  elevated  eyebrows  and 
elaborate  pantomime.  The  good  words  of  the  conscien- 
tious few  who  felt  all  the  time  that  he  would  fight  were 
drowned  by  a  babel  of  wrathful  depreciation  of  him  as  a 
man  and  as  a  soldier.  The  outlook  for  the  Negro  soldier 
was  certainly  unpromising  at  first  blush ;  but  he  knew  how 
to  be  patient,  and  with  intensest  longing  listened  for  the 
call  to  battle,  where  he  hoped  to  command  the  respect  of 
the  enemy  and  the  admiration  of  the  Government.  The 
days  of  hope  and  fear,  of  distrust  and  discontent,  of  dis- 
cussion and  detraction,  soon  swept  by  in  the  wild  current 
of  war  events ;  the  hour  for  the  trial  of  the  Negro  volunteer 
in  the  fire  of  civil  war  came.  No  one  welcomed  it  more  sin- 
cerely than  the  Negro  himself,  and  history  shall  record  his 
splendid  bearing,  his  heroic  deeds,  his  proud  achievements. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         181 


CHAPTER  IX. 

NEGRO   TROOPS   IN   BATTLE. — DEPARTMENT   OF   THE 
SOUTH    (1862-1865). 

SOUTH  CAROLINA  had  set  the  other  States  a  dangerous 
example  in  her  attempts  at  nullification  under  President 
Jackson's  administration,  and  was  not  only  first  in  seced- 
ing, but  fired  the  first  shot  of  the  slave-holders'  rebellion 
against  the  laws  and  authority  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment. It  was  eminently  fitting,  then,  that  the  first 
shot  fired  at  slavery  by  Negro  soldiers  should  be  aimed 
by  the  ex -slaves  of  the  haughty  South  Carolina  rebels. 
It  was  poetic  justice  that  South  Carolina  Negroes  should 
have  the  priority  of  obtaining  the  Union  uniform,  and 
enjoy  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  Negro  soldiers  to 
encounter  the  enemy  in  battle.  And  the  honor  belongs 
to  Massachusetts  in  furnishing  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
College,  Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson,  as  the  first  colo- 
nel to  lead  the  First  South  Carolina  Negro  Regiment  of 
Volunteers. 

Before  Colonel  Higginson  assumed  command  of  this 
regiment,  in  fact  before  it  was  organized  as  a  regiment, 
Company  A  did  its  first  fighting  on  Saint  Helena  Island.1 
From  the  3d  to  the  10th  of  November,  1862,  Company  A, 
under  Captain  Trowbridge,  participated  in  the  expedition 
along  the  coasts  of  Georgia  and  East  Florida.  The  ex- 
pedition was  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant-colonel 

1  "  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xiv.,  p.  189. 


182  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Oliver  T.  Beard,  of  the  Forty- eighth  New  York  Infantry. 
Of  their  fighting  quality  Colonel  Beard  in  his  report 
says: 

"The  colored  men  fought  with  astonishing  coolness 
and  bravery.  For  alacrity  in  effecting  landings,  for  deter- 
mination, and  for  bush-fighting  I  found  them  all  I  could 
desire — more  than  I  had  hoped.  They  behaved  bravely, 
gloriously,  and  deserve  all  praise." ' 

From  the  13th  to  the  18th  of  November  three  compa- 
nies of  the  First  South  Carolina  Colored  Yolunteers  par- 
ticipated in  an  expedition  from  Beaufort,  South  Carolina, 
to  Doboy  River,  Georgia.  In  his  report  of  the  expedi- 
tion General  Rufus  Saxton  says : 

"  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  bear  witness  to  the  good  con- 
duct of  the  Negro  troops.  They  fought  with  the  most 
determined  bravery.  Although  scarcely  one  month  since 
the  organization  of  this  regiment  was  commenced,  in  that 
short  period  these  untrained  soldiers  have  captured  from 
the  enemy  an  amount  of  property  equal  in  value  to  the 
cost  of  the  regiment  for  a  year.  They  have  driven  back 
equal  numbers  of  rebel  troops,  and  have  destroyed  the 
salt-works  along  the  whole  line  of  this  coast." * 

On  the  23d  of  January,  1863,  by  order  of  Major-gen- 
eral Hunter,  Colonel  Higginson  sailed  in  transports  from 
Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  to  make  a  raid  into  Georgia  and 
Florida.  No  strategic  blow  was  to  be  struck,  no  impor- 
tant manoeuvre  was  to  be  executed.  But  there  were  two 
objects  in  view.  Negro  regiments  were  to  be  recruited 
in  the  Department,  but  the  enemy,  in  retiring  before  the 
Union  forces,  had  taken  with  him  all  effective  Negroes. 
It  was  one  of  the  objects  of  the  expedition  to  secure  Ne- 

1  "  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xiv.,  pp.  189, 
190, 191, 192. 
8  Ibid.,  vol.  xiv.,  p.  192. 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  183 

gro  recruits  in  the  enemy's  country.  The  second  object 
of  the  'expedition  was  to  obtain  the  far-  famed  lumber 
which  was  to  be  had  by  a  bold  dash  into  the  enemy's 
country.  These  two  objects  were  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  justify  the  expedition,  but  Colonel  Higginson 
cherished  another  idea  that  had  not  been  canvassed  at 
headquarters.  This  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers  was 
the  only  organized  regiment  of  Negro  troops  in  the  army 
of  the  'United  States  at  this  time.  The  tentative  effort  of 
General  Hunter  in  raising  this  regiment  the  year  before 
had  met  the  inexorable  disapproval  of  the  President,  and 
had  drawn  the  fierce  fire  of  the  enemies  of  the  Negro. 
Colonel  Higginson  knew  that  if  he  could  get  his  black 
soldiers  in  battle  once,  the  question  of  their  employment 
in  unlimited  numbers  would  be  finally  settled.  So,  while 
he  went  ostensibly  for  recruits  and  lumber,  his  main  aim 
was  to  find  the  enemy  and  engage  him.  His  force  con- 
sisted of  four  hundred  and  sixty -two  officers  and  men. 
The  vessels  that  bore  the  expedition  were  the  Ben  de 
Ford,  Captain  Hallet,  carrying  several  six -pound  guns; 
the  John  Adams,  an  army  gun -boat,  carrying  a  thirty- 
pound  Parrott  gun,  two  ten-pound  Parrotts,  and  an  eight- 
inch  howitzer;  the  Planter,  carrying  a  ten -pound  Par- 
rott gun  and  two  howitzers.  The  Ben  de  Ford  was  the 
largest,  and  carried  most  of  the  troops.  It  was  the  "  flag- 
ship "  of  the  expedition,  in  a  manner.  Major  John  D. 
Strong  was  in  command  on  the  John  Adams,  and  Cap- 
tain Charles  T.  Trowbridge  commanded  the  troops  on  the 
Planter.  For  prudential  reasons,  each  vessel  sailed  at  a 
different  hour  for  St.  Simon's,  on  the  coast  of  Georgia. 

On  the  night  of  the  26th  of  January  Colonel  Higgin- 
son found  himself  on  the  right  track ;  the  enemy  he  was 
looking  for  was  not  far  away.  Of  his  purpose  Colonel 
Higginson  says :  "  That  night  I  proposed  to  make  a  sort  of 


184  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

trial  trip  up  stream  as  far  as  Township  Landing,  some  fif- 
teen miles,  there  to  pay  our  respects  to  Captain  Clark's 
company  of  cavalry,  whose  camp  was  reported  to  lie  near 
by.  This  was  included  in  Corporal  Button's  programme, 
and  seemed  to  me  more  inviting  and  far  more  useful  to 
the  men  than  any  amount  of  mere  foraging.  The  thing 
really  desirable  appeared  to  be  to  get  them  under  fire 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  to  teach  them,  by  a  few  small 
successes,  the  application  of  what  they  had  learned  in 
camp." ' 

Back  from  the  river  and  five  miles  from  Township  Land- 
ing the  much-desired  enemy  was  bivouacked.  A  troop  of 
skirmishers  was  landed  behind  the  bend  below  the  landing, 
with  orders  to  march  upon  the  town  and  surround  it. 
When  the  troops  arrived  by  water  the  town  was  in  posses- 
sion of  the  force  that  had  proceeded  by  land.  Colonel 
Higginson  had  brought  along  a  good  supply  of  the  Eman- 
cipation Proclamation  to  distribute  among  the  Negroes, 
and  these  were  rather  assuring  to  many  who  had  been 
led  to  believe  that  the  "Yankees  would  sell  them  into 
Cuba." 

After  making  a  selection  of  one  hundred  of  the  best  sol- 
diers in  the  expedition,  Colonel  Higginson  took  up  his  line 
of  march  for  the  enemy's  camp  shortly  after  midnight. 
The  moon  shone  brightly,  but  the  command  soon  reached 
the  resinous  pines,  and  clouds  of  shadows  hid  it.  The  col- 
umn moved  on  in  silence  until,  when  about  two  miles  from 
its  base,  the  advance-guard  came  suddenly  upon  the  rebel 
cavalry  and  exchanged  shots.  Colonel  Higginson  gave  or- 
ders to  fix  bayonets,  and  prepared  to  receive  the  enemy 
kneeling,  and  the  enemy  delivered  his  fire  over  the  heads 
of  the  intrepid  black  soldiers.  "  My  soldiers,"  says  Colonel 

1  "  Army  Life  in  a  Black  Regiment,"  p.  70. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         185 

Higginson,  "  in  turn  fired  rapidly — too  rapidly,  being  yet 
beginners — and  it  was  evident  that,  dim  as  it  was,  both  sides 

O  '  ' 

had  opportunity  to  do  some  execution. 

"  I  could  hardly  tell  whether  the  fight  had  lasted  ten 
minutes  or  an  hour,  when,  as  the  enemy's  fire  had  evidently 
ceased  or  slackened,  I  gave  the  order  to  cease  firing.  But 
it  was  very  difficult  at  first  to  make  them  desist :  the  taste  of 
gunpowder  was  too  intoxicating.  One  of  them  was  heard 
to  mutter  indignantly, '  Why  de  cunnel  order  cease  firing, 
when  de  Secesh  blazin'  away  at  de  rate  of  ten  dollar  a 
day?'" 

The  enemy  beat  a  precipitate  retreat,  and  left  Colonel 
Higginson's  JSTegro  troops  in  undisputed  possession  of  the 
field.  The  dead  and  wounded  were  tenderly  taken  up  by 
their  more  fortunate  comrades,  and  the  command  returned 
to  Township  Landing  without  being  again  assailed  by  the 
enemy.  Of  the  wounded,  Surgeon  Seth  Rogers  wrote : 
"  One  man  killed  instantly  by  a  ball  through  the  heart  and 
seven  wounded,  one  of  whom  will  die.  Braver  men  never 
lived.  One  man  with  two  bullet-holes  through  the  large 
muscles  of  the  shoulders  and  neck  brought  off  from  the 
scene  of  action,  two  miles  distant,  two  muskets,  and  not  a 
murmur  has  escaped  his  lips.  Another,  Robert  Sutton, 
with  three  wounds — one  of  which,  being  on  the  skull,  may 
cost  him  his  life — would  not  report  himself  till  compelled 
to  do  so  by  his  officers.  While  dressing  his  wounds  he 
quietly  talked  of  what  they  had  done  and  of  what  they  yet 
could  do.  To-day  I  have  had  the  colonel  order  him  to 
obey  me.  He  is  perfectly  quiet  and  cool,  but  takes  this 
whole  affair  with  the  religious  bearing  of  a  man  who  re- 
alizes that  freedom  is  sweeter  than  life.  Yet  another 
soldier  did  not  report  himself  at  all,  but  remained  all 
night  on  guard,  and  possibly  I  should  not  have  known  of 
his  having  had  a  buckshot  in  his  shoulder  if  some  duty 


186  A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

requiring  a  sound  shoulder  had  not  been  required  of  him 
to-day." ' 

The  engagement  in  which  Colonel  Higginson's  Negro 
soldiers  had  courageously  and  unflinchingly  met  and  re- 
turned the  enemy's  fire  was  called  the  "Battle  of  the 
Hundred  Pines."  It  decided  no  important  military  ques- 
tion, but,  under  the  circumstances,  it  was  of  great  impor- 
tance to  Negro  soldiership  throughout  the  entire  country. 
It  was  one  of  the  first  stand-up  fights  that  ex-slaves  had 
had  with  their  late  masters,  and  their  splendid  bravery  was 
at  once  a  vindication  and  a  prophecy  of  valor  upon  other 
fields  that  were  yet  to  be  fought  for  freedom. 

But  this  was  not  the  end  of  the  practical  military  expe- 
riences of  this  Negro  regiment  during  the  expedition  up 
the  St.  Mary's  River.  The  coveted  lumber  was  secured, 
brick  and  railroad  iron  were  obtained,  and  some  "  contra- 
bands." The  return  trip  of  the  expedition  was  signalized 
by  a  number  of  sharp  contests  with  the  enemy.  The  cap 
tain  of  the  John  Adams  was  killed  in  the  first  river  engage- 
ment, but  there  was  not  the  least  demoralization  among  the 
troops.  A  Negro  corporal  took  the  wheel  and  guided  the 
vessel  through  a  hail-storm  of  bullets,  occasionally  taking 
a  shot  at  the  enemy  from  the  pilot-house.  The  men  who 
were  detailed  to  man  the  guns  fought  them  with  the  cool- 
est courage,  although  they  were  exposed  to  the  musket  and 
artillery  fire  of  the  enemy. 

As  musketry  service  was  valueless  against  the  enemy 
upon  the  high  bluffs,  most  of  the  troops  were  confined  in 
the  hot  and  disagreeable  hold  of  the  vessel.  When  the 
firing  began  it  required  great  firmness  on  the  part  of  the 
officers  to  keep  the  men  from  rushing  on  deck.  A  safety- 
valve  to  their  overflowing  martial  zeal  was  permitted  by 

1  "Army  Life  in  a  Black  Regiment,"  pp.  76,  77. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         187 

the  use  of  the  port-holes  under  deck,  through  which  they 
discharged  their  pieces  at  will.  So  eager  were  they  to  do 
service  that  they  fought  each  other  to  secure  control  of 
the  port-holes.  Others  begged  to  be  put  ashore,  and  ex- 
claimed that  it  was  "  mighty  mean  "  to  be  shut  down  in 
the  hold  when  they  might  be  "  fightin'  de  Secesh  in  de 
dar  field" 

The  expedition  was  in  every  way  a  success ;  and  while 
it  reflected  great  credit  upon  the  commanding  officer,  it 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  Negroes  well  led  make  capable 
and  reliable  soldiers.  The  country  was  waiting  for  just 
such  evidence,  and  Colonel  Higginson's  Negro  soldiers  fur- 
nished it.  War  correspondents  who  accompanied  the  ex- 
pedition or  received  their  information  from  the  officers 
hurried  the  news  to  the  rear,  and  the  country  was  thrilled 
at  learning  that  its  Negro  defenders  had  justified  its  hopes 
and  disarmed  all  fear. 

During  the  same  week  that  this  expedition  was  testing 
the  Negro's  valor  another  expedition  from  the  same  regi- 
ment was  performing  a  perilous  march  into  Georgia.  On 
the  30th  of  January,  1863,  Captain  Charles  T.  Trowbridge, 
with  the  small  force  of  thirty  men,  set  out  to  destroy  a  rebel 
salt-w,orks  on  the  coast  of  Georgia.  His  Negro  troops  were 
familiar  with  the  country  and  delighted  with  their  military 
mission.  The  swamps  were  numerous  and  almost  impas- 
sable, but  they  heroically  dragged  a  boat  over  the  country 
in  order  to  cross  them,  and  endured  the  fatigue,  privations, 
and  perils  of  the  undertaking  with  the  fortitude  of  veter- 
ans. They  finally  reached  their  objective  point,  and  found 
thirty-two  large  boilers,  two  store-houses,  and  a  large  quan 
tity  of  salt.  Captain  Trowbridge  was  a  good  engineer  offi- 
cer, and  the  work  of  destruction1  was  complete.  The  com- 

1  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  vi.,  D,  p.  41. 


188  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

inanding  officer  of  the  Department  of  the  South  was  high- 
ly gratified  with  the  results  of  the  expedition  under  Colonel 
Higginson  and  that  under  Captain  Trowbridge.  Although 
of  no  great  military  moment,  the  war  correspondents  were 
easily  impressed  with  the  value  of  the  whole  affair.  The 
New  York  Times  said  concerning  the  expedition : 

"THE  NEGROES  IN  BATTLE. 

"Colonel  Higginson,  of  the  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers,  fur- 
nishes an  entertaining  official  report  of  the  exploits  of  his  black  regi- 
ment in  Florida.  He  seems  to  think  it  necessary  to  put  his  case  strongly 
and  in  rather  exalted  language,  as  well  as  in  such  a  way  as  to  convince 
the  public  that  Negroes  will  fight.  In  this  expedition  his  battalion  was 
repeatedly  under  fire — had  rebel  cavalry,  infantry,  and,  says  he,  '  even 
artillery'  arrayed  against  them,  yet  in  every  instance  came  off  with  un- 
blemished honor  and  undisputed  triumph.  His  men  made  the  most 
urgent  appeals  to  him  to  be  allowed  to  press  the  flying  enemy.  They 
exhibited  the  most  fiery  energy,  beyond  anything  of  which  Colonel  Hig- 
ginson ever  read,  unless  it  may  be  in  the  case  of  the  French  Zouaves. 
He  even  says  that  '  it  would  have  been  madness  to  attempt  with  the 
bravest  white  troops  what  he  successfully  accomplished  with  black 
ones.'  No  wanton  destruction  was  permitted,  no  personal  outrages  de- 
sired, during  the  expedition.  The  regiment,  besides  the  victories  which 
it  achieved,  and  the  large  amount  of  valuable  property  which  it  secured, 
obtained  a  cannon  and  a  flag,  which  the  Colonel  very  properly  asks  per- 
mission for  the  regiment  to  retain.  The  officers  and  men  desire  to  re- . 
main  permanently  in  Florida,  and  obtain  supplies  of  lumber,  iron,  etc., 
for  the  Government.  The  Colonel  puts  forth  a  very  good  suggestion, 
to  the  effect  that  a  '  chain  of  such  posts  would  completely  alter  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  war  in  the  seaboard  slave  States,  and  would  ac- 
complish what  no  accumulation  of  Northern  regiments  can  so  easily 
effect.'  This  is  the  very  use  for  Negro  soldiers  suggested  in  the  proc- 
lamation of  the  President.  We  have  no  doubt  that  the  whole  State  of 
Florida  might  easily  be  held  for  the  Government  in  this  way  by  a  dozen 
Negro  regiments." ' 

The  official  account  is  excellent.4 

1  Times,  February  10, 1863. 

1  "Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  vol.  xiv.,  pp.  194- 
198. 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  189 

In  March,  1863,  Colonel  Higginson  was  in  command  of 
an  expedition  up  the  St.  John's  River,  consisting  of  the 
First  and  Second  South  Carolina  Yolunteer  Negro  regi- 
ments. He  reoccupied  Jacksonville,  and  held  it  against 
the  enemy  until  ordered  to  evacuate  the  place.  In  July, 
1863,  Colonel  Higginson  was  placed  in  command  of  an- 
other expedition,  this  time  ordered  up  the  South  Edisto. 
Like  the  previous  expeditions,  this  one  was  composed  of 
Negro  troops ;  and  this  one,  while  less  imposing  in  num- 
bers, was  charged  with  a  most  arduous  and  perilous  un- 
dertaking. The  infantry  force  consisted  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men  of  Colonel  Higginson's  First  South  Caro- 
lina Regiment ;  and  besides  these  there  was  one  section  of 
the  First  Connecticut  Battery,  Lieutenant  Clinton.  There 
were  two  twelve-pound  Armstrong  guns,  three  Parrott 
guns,  and  one  of  twenty  and  two  of  ten  pound  calibre, 
and  several  howitzers.  The  war  correspondent  with  the 
expedition  gave  a  most  graphic  and  succinct  account  of 
the  fighting,  and  he  may  relate  the  affair  again : 

"  A  NATIONAL  ACCOUNT. 

"Camp  First  Regiment  South  Carolina  Volunteers, 
"Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  July  16,  1863. 

"Thinking,  perhaps,  that  you  would  like  to  hear  of  an  expedition 
made  by  a  detachment  of  the  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers,  I  will 
proceed  to  give  you  a  few  items. 

"The  expedition  left  Beaufort  on  the  9th  of  July,  at  4  P.M.,  and 
arrived  at  Wiltown  Bluff  next  morning  about  3  A.M.  The  expedition 
was  composed  of  four  companies  of  the  First  Regiment  South  Caro- 
lina Volunteers —  Companies  A,  B,  G,  and  K  —  with  a  detachment  of 
twenty  men  from  Company  C,  who  nobly  and  fearlessly  worked  the 
guns  on  board  the  gun-boat  Enoch  Dean.  The  little  steamer  Governor 
Milton,  commanded  by  Major  Strong,  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers, 
was  armed  with  two  brass  twelve-pounder  Armstrongs  from  the  Con- 
necticut Battery,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Clinton,  First  Connecticut 
Battery.  The  John  Adams  had  on  board  two  twenty-four  pounder  rifles 
and  two  twenty-four  pounder  howitzers,  commanded  by  Mr.  Edward 


190  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Herron  and  Lieutenant  Walker,  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers.  The 
Enoch  Dean  had  two  guns,  one  ten-pounder  Parrott  and  one  six-pounder 
howitzer,  commanded  by  Captain  George  Dally,  First  South  Carolina 
Volunteers.  On  arriving  near  the  bluff  a  contraband  was  seen  on  shore, 
and  a  boat  sent  for  him.  He  reported  a  battery  of  three  guns  on  the 
bluff.  The  John  Adams  fired  one  gun,  and  was  answered  by  one  gun 
from  the  bluff,  when  the  rebels  retired.  Companies  K,  Captain  Whit- 
ney, and  G,  Lieutenant  Sampson,  landed  at  the  bluff  and  deployed  their 
companies  as  skirmishers.  After  marching  about  one  mile  they  en- 
countered about  one  company  of  cavalry  and  a  company  of  sharpshoot- 
ers, when  they  had  a  brisk  skirmish,  and  succeeded  in  driving  the  rebel 
cavalry  and  infantry,  capturing  one  lieutenant  and  one  private  belong- 
ing to  the  Sixth  South  Carolina.  While  the  skirmishing  was  going  on, 
the  John  Adams  was  employed  in  removing  some  spiling  that  extended 
across  the  river.  The  work  was  done  under  the  supervision  and  engi- 
neering of  Captain  Trowbridge,  First  South  Carolina  Volunteers,  and 
was  done  with  despatch — opening  a  breach  wide  enough  for  the  boats 
to  pass  up  the  river.  The  little  Milton  and  the  Dean  passed  through 
the  breach,  and  proceeded  up  the  river  for  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  and 
encountered  a  battery  of  two  guns.  The  Dean  exchanged  a  few  shots 
with  the  battery,  when  the  battery  retired.  The  Milton  meanwhile  got 
aground,  when  the  rebels  posted  a  battery  of  two  guns  on  the  opposite 
bank  and  commenced  a  brisk  fire  on  the  Milton.  A  few  well-directed 
shots  from  Lieutenant  Clinton's  guns  on  board  the  Milton  caused  them 
to  retire.  The  Dean  went  on  about  a  mile  farther,  and  encountered 
two  more  rebel  guns,  one  on  each  side  of  the  river.  A  few  shots  drove 
them  back.  Owing  to  the  draft  of  the  Dean  she  was  obliged  to  re- 
turn to  the  spiling.  I  almost  forgot  to  mention  a  detachment  of  Cap- 
tain Rogers's  company  (F)  who  accompanied  the  expedition,  and  were 
landed  below  the  bluff,  and  proceeded  about  a  mile  to  some  extensive 
rice-mills,  containing  about  fifteen  thousand  bushels  of  rice,  and  burned 
them  all.  We  were  detained  about  two  hours  for  the  tide  to  rise,  so 
that  we  could  fulfil  the  object  of  our  mission.  We  then  weighed  an- 
chor, and  the  Milton  and  the  Dean  proceeded  up  the  river  to  burn  the 
bridge,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  spiling.  When  about  six  miles 
from  the  spiling  the  Dean  got  aground,  and  Colonel  Higginson  ordered 
the  Milton  to  proceed  up  the  river;  but  when  about  twenty  rods  from 
the  Dean  the  Milton  was  fired  at  from  the  shore  by  a  three-gun  battery. 
One  shell  hit  the  Milton  about  amidships,  and  exploded,  injuring  her 
machinery  and  killing  her  engineer.  The  Milton  was  obliged  to  turn 
back,  leaving  the  Dean  aground  and  exposed  to  two  batteries— one  on 
each  side  of  the  river.  The  Dean  was  hit  with  eleven  shots  from  the 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         191 

rebels  while  aground.  One  shell  burst  quite  near  Colonel  Higginson, 
injuring  him  severely  by  the  concussion;  another  shell  passed  through 
the  bows  of  the  Dean,  killing  one  gunner  and  injuring  three  deck- 
hands severely.  Captain  Dolly  expended  all  his  ammunition  for  his 
ten-pounder  rifle,  and  had  only  his  six-pounder  howitzer  to  fight  with. 
The  Dean  managed  to  get  afloat  by  using  tar  to  get  up  steam,  and 
proceeded  down  the  river  and  encountered  a  battery  of  five  guns 
about  four  miles,  from  the  piles,  which  riddled  the  Dean  completely 
with  shot  and  canister.  The  Milton  had  meanwhile  run  down  the  river, 
and  by  mistake  run  headlong  on  the  spiles.  Being  unable  to  get  her 
off,  she  was  abandoned  and  burned.  The  machinery  of  the  Dean  was 
now  disabled,  and  she  was  taken  in  tow  by  the  John  Adams. 

"  We  then  proceeded  down  the  river;  but  it  would  be  well  to  men- 
tion another  brisk  skirmish  which  occurred  before  embarking,  between 
the  rebels  and  Company  K,  Captain  Whitney,  and  Company  G,  Lieu- 
tenant Sampson,  with  a  detachment  of  Company  B,  under  Lieutenant 
Parker,  and  a  detachment  of  Company  A,  under  Lieutenant  Trow- 
bridge.  As  they  were  about  to  embark,  the  rebels  dashed  down  upon 
them  with  a  force  five  hundred  strong,  consisting  of  cavalry  and  in- 
fantry. A  brisk  skirmish  ensued,  and  braver  men  never  used  a  mus- 
ket than  our  boys  proved  themselves  to  be  on  that  occasion.  They 
fought  with  admirable  bravery,  and  the  rebels  fled  before  them.  The 
extent  of  the  damage  to  the  rebel  side  is  not  yet  known.  Our  troops 
then  embarked,  and  we  proceeded  down  the  river  about  a  mile  and  a 
half,  and  then  encountered  another  battery  of  four  guns,  which  opened 
a  brisk  fire  upon  us.  Two  balls  struck  the  John  Adams,  one  of 
which  killed  two  men.  The  Enoch  Dean  was  struck  seventeen  times 
with  shot  and  shell,  beside  the  grape  and  canister.  The  boats  then 
proceeded  back  to  Beaufort.  The  rebel  lieutenant  who  was  captured 
was  taken  by  a  Negro,  who,  after  firing  his  gun  without  effect,  seized  the 
horse  by  the  bridle,  and  with  his  other  hand  grasped  firmly  the  rebel, 
who  was  armed  with  sabre  and  carbine,  and  pulled  him  off  his  horse." 

While  Colonel  Higginson's  South  Carolina  Negro 
troops  were  fighting  their  way  among  the  rebel  batter- 
ies which  lined  the  banks  of  the  Edisto,  a  regiment  of 
Northern  Negroes  was  learning  its  first  lessons  in  the 
practical  school  of  war.  The  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts 
Volunteer  Infantry  had  already  joined  General  A.  H. 
Terry  on  James  Island,  and  on  the  16th  of  July,  1863, 


192  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

while  on  picket,  was  surprised  by  the  enemy  and  hurled 
back  upon  Terry's  main  line.  The  enemy,  a  body  of  Geor- 
gians, more  numerous  than  the  Union  force,  was  never- 
theless driven  off.  Although  the  attack  was  a  morning 
surprise,  the  black  soldiers  had  what  Napoleon  styled 
"  Two-o'clock-in-the-morning  courage."  Although  con- 
fronted by  a  superior  force,  the  Negro  regiment  re- 
coiled in  good  order,  delivering  a  deliberate  fire.  After 
this  engagement  the  Fifty-fourth  Regiment  started  the 
same  day  for  Morris  Island,  in  order  to  participate  in  a 
meditated  assault  upon  Fort  Wagner. 

The  Department  of  the  South  up  to  this  time  had  done 
little  effective  military  service.  Most  of  the  Sea  Islands 
had  fallen  into  the  control  of  the  Union  forces,  but  the 
way  to  Charleston,  both  by  land  and  water,  was  guarded 
by  forts,  fortifications,  and  torpedoes.  Fort  Wagner  was 
a  strongly  mounted  and  thoroughly  garrisoned  earthwork 
extending  across  the  north  end  of  the  island  ;  it  was  within 
twenty-six  hundred  yards  of  Fort  Sumter.  The  reduction 
of  this  fortress  left  but  little  work  to  subdue  Cumming's 
Point,  and  thus  siege  guns  could  be  brought  within  one 
mile  of  Fort  Sumter,  and  the  city  of  Charleston  —  the 
heart  of  the  rebellion — would  be  within  extreme  shelling 
distance.  In  this  assault  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts 
was  to  participate.  It  had  sustained  a  loss  of  fourteen 
killed,  seventeen  wounded,  and  thirteen  missing  while  on 
James  Island,  and  having  had  a  taste  of  war,  was  eager 
for  more.  It  was  eminently  proper,  too,  that  this  North- 
ern Negro  regiment  from  stalwart  old  Massachusetts 
should  have  its  fighting  qualities  tested  in  South  Caro- 
lina before  a  haughty  and  formidable  fortress,  from  under 
whose  guns  the  most  splendid  valor  of  white  troops  had 
recoiled.  Before  the  trying  hour  they  had  been  subject- 
ed to  tests  not  only  of  martial  pluck,  but  of  endurance, 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         193 

hunger,  heat,  and  thirst.  At  the  close  of  the  engagement 
on  the  morning  of  the  16th  these  Negro  soldiers  were  set 
in  motion  from  James  to  Morris  Island.  The  first  shock 
of  battle  had  burst  upon  them  in  the  ominous  silence  of 
the  early  morning.  All  day  they  marched  over  the  isl- 
and under  the  exhausting  heat  of  a  July  sun  in  Carolina, 
with  the  uncertain  sand  slipping  under  their  weary  tread. 
All  night  the  march  was  continued  through  darkness  and 
rain,  amid  thunder  and  lightning,  over  swollen  streams, 
broken  dikes,  and  feeble,  shuddering,  narrow  causeways. 
Now  a  halt  for  no  apparent  reason,  and  then  the  column 
moved  forward  to  lead  in  the  dance  of  death.  This 
dreary,  weary,  and  exhausting  march  was  continued  till 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  18th,  when  the  Fifty- 
fourth  reached  Morris  Island. 

General  Quincy  A.  Gillmore,  an  excellent  engineer  offi- 
cer, had  carefully  matured  his  plans  for  the  proposed 
assault  upon  Fort  Wagner.  It  was  intended  to  open  a 
preliminary  bombardment  at  daylight  on  the  18th,  and 
having  by  heavy  ordnance  tranquillized  Wagner,  to  ef- 
fect its  reduction  by  the  bayonet.  But  a  tempest  came 
on  suddenly  and  delayed  the  cruel  ingenuity  of  war.  The 
thunder  roared,  the  lightning  flashed,  and  the  rain  fell 
in  torrents.  The  military  operations  were  suspended  in 
the  presence  of  Nature's  awful  spectacle.  About  eleven 
o'clock  aides-de-camp  and  mounted  couriers  sped  in  differ- 
ent directions,  and  the  force  on  land  and  its  naval  sup- 
port upon  the  sea  began  to  exhibit  signs  of  preparation 
for  the  impending  conflict.  The  pale  face  and  steady 
look  of  officers  as  they  transmitted  their  weighty  orders 
told  the  nature  of  their  mission  here  and  there  on  the 
island.  At  12.30  P.M.  a  flash  of  fire  leaped  from  the 
mouths  of  batteries  that  were  ranged  in  semicircle  for  a 
mile  across  the  island,  and  the  bombardment  was  formally 
13 


194  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

opened.  The  naval  vessels  came  into  action  also,  within  a 
few  hundred  yards  of  the  fortress,  and  the  enemy  replied 
promptly  from  Wagner,  Sumter,  and  Cumming's  Point. 
A  storm  of  fire  and  whirring  missiles  was  kept  up  all  the 
afternoon.  The  enemy  did  not  serve  all  his  guns  in  Wag- 
ner, but  the  two  operated  were  fought  with  admirable 
skill  and  daring.  The  infantry  support  clung  to  the 
bomb-proofs  all  the  afternoon,  for  the  commanding  officer 
evidently  knew  what  the  Union  troops  would  attempt  at 
nightfall.  At  least  one  hundred  great  guns  were  engaged 
in  an  attempt  to  batter  down  this  rebel  fortress,  and  the 
work  of  destruction  went  on  all  the  afternoon.  Great 
clouds  of  sand  were  thrown  into  the  air  by  the  tons  of 
metal  that  struck  inside.  A  shot  cut  the  halyards  on  the 
flag-staff,  and  the  rebel  banner  went  fluttering  to  the  earth 
like  a  stricken  bird. 

Some  of  the  Union  officers  thought  the  garrison  was 
about  to  capitulate,  but  Sumter  fired  a  shot  over  the  fort, 
as  much  as  to  say, "  I  protest."  Out  from  their  bombs 
rushed  a  squad  of  men,  and,  with  the  rebel  yell,  hauled 
their  colors  to  their  place  again. 

As  the  day  wore  away  it  seemed  certain,  from  the 
Union  stand-point,  that  the  garrison  must  yield  or  perish. 
Through  a  field-glass  Wagner  seemed  little  less  than  an 
unrecognizable  mass  of  ruins,  a  mere  heap  of  sand.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  approaches  to  the  bomb-proofs  were 
choked  with  sand,  and  that  most  of  the  heavy  guns  were 
disabled  and  the  fort  practically  dismantled.  Its  reduc- 
tion seemed  now  near  at  hand,  and  the  bombardment  had 
facilitated  the  work  of  the  infantry  who  were  to  consum- 
mate its  reduction  by  a  dash  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
Towards  evening  the  breaching  siege  guns  and  monitors 
slacked  their  fire.  Soon  the  beach  was  filled  with  life. 
Couriers  dashed  in  every  direction,  and  the  troops  were 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        195 

now  being  disposed  for  an  assault.  At  6  P.M.  the  Fifty- 
fourth  Regiment  reached  General  Geo.  C.  Strong's  head- 
quarters, about  the  middle  of  the  island,  wet  and  weary, 
hungry  and  thirsty ;  but  there  was  no  time  for  rest  or  re- 
freshments. Onward  the  Negro  regiment  marched  several 
hundred  yards  farther,  and  proudly  took  its  place  at  the 
head  of  the  assaulting  column.  General  Strong  and  Colo- 
nel Shaw  addressed  it  briefly,  and  with  burning  words  of 
eloquent  patriotic  sentiment  urged  the  men  to  valorous 
conduct  in  the  approaching  assault.  Both  officers  were 
inspired ;  the  siren  of  martial  glory  was  sedulously  luring 
them  to  the  bloody  and  inhospitable  trenches  of  Wagner. 
There  was  a  tremor  in  Colonel  Shaw's  voice  and  an  im- 
pressiveness  in  his  manner.  He  was  young  and  beautiful, 
wealthy  and  refined,  and  his  heroic  words  soon  flowered 
into  action — bravest  of  the  brave,  leader  of  men!  The 
random  shot  and  shell  that  screamed  through  the  ranks 
gave  the  troops  little  annoyance.  The  first  brigade  con- 
sisted of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts,  Colonel  Robert 
Gould  Shaw ;  the  Sixth  Connecticut,  Colonel  Chatfield ; 
the  Forty-eighth  New  York,  Colonel  Barton ;  the  Third 
New  Hampshire,  Colonel  Jackson ;  the  Seventy  -  sixth 
Pennsylvania,  Colonel  Strawbridge ;  and  the  Ninth  Maine, 
Colonel  Emory.  After  about  thirty  minutes'  halt,  Gen- 
eral Strong  gave  the  order  for  the  charge,  and  the  col- 
umn advanced  quickly  to  its  perilous  work.  The  ram- 
parts of  "Wagner  flashed  with  small-arms,  and  all  the  large 
shotted  guns  roared  with  defiance.  Sumter  and  Curn- 
ming's  Point  delivered  a  destructive  cross-fire,  while  the 
howitzers  in  the  bastions  raked  the  ditch ;  but  the  gallant 
Negro  regiment  swept  across  it  and  gained  the  parapet. 
Here  the  flag  of  this  regiment  was  planted ;  here  General 
Strong  fell  mortally  wounded ;  and  here  the  brave,  beau- 
tiful, and  heroic  Colonel  Shaw  was  saluted  by  death  and 


196  A   HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

kissed  by  immortality.  The  regiment  lost  heavily,  but 
held  its  ground  under  the  most  discouraging  circum- 
stances. The  men  had  actually  gained  the  inside  of  the 
fort,  where  they  bravely  contended  with  a  desperate  and 
determined  enemy.  The  contest  endured  for  about  an 
hour,  when  the  regiment,  shattered  and  torn,  with  nearly 
all  of  its  officers  dead  or  wounded,  was  withdrawn  under 
the  command1  of  Captain  Luis  F.  Emilio.  He  formed  a 
new  line  of  battle  about  seven  hundred  yards  from  the 
fort,  and  awaited  orders  for  another  charge.  He  de- 
spatched a  courier  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  sec- 
ond brigade  that  had  gone  to  the  front,  stating  that  he  was 
in  supporting  position,  and  was  ready  and  willing  to  do 
what  he  could.  Word  came  that  the  enemy  was  quiet 
and  that  the  Fifty-fourth  was  not  needed.  Captain  Emi- 
lio then  occupied  the  rifle-pits  flanking  the  Union  ar- 
tillery which  he  found  unoccupied,  and  being  out  of 
musket  range,  organized  his  men  as  best  he  could.  The 
national  colors  of  the  regiment  which  he  had  brought 
back  from  the  scene  of  the  battle  he  sent  to  the  rear  with 
the  wounded  color-sergeant,  William  H.  Carney,  as  they 
could  not  serve  as  a  rallying  point  in  the  deep  darkness. 
The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  written  by  a  late  ser- 
geant of  the  Fifty-fourth  to  Captain  Luis  F.  Emilio  gives 
personal  observations  during  this  action  that  are  not  with- 
out their  value : 

"  Regarding  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  I  recollect  dis- 
tinctly that  when  our  column  had  charged  the  fort,  passed 
the  half-filled  moat,  and  mounted  to  the  parapet,  many  of 

1  Several  histories  of  the  war  have  given  Lieutenant  Higginson  the 
honor  of  leading  the  regiment  from  the  parapets  of  Wagner.  This  is 
an  error.  Lieutenant  Higginson  was  not  in  this  action,  but  on  detail 
at  the  other  end  of  the  island.  Captain  Luis  F.  Emilio  was  the  officer 
who  commanded  at  the  close  of  the  battle.— G.  W.  W. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        197 

the  men  clambered  over  and  some  entered  by  the  large 
embrasure  in  which  one  of  the  big  guns  was  mounted,  the 
firing  substantially  ceased  there  by  the  beach,  and  the  rebel 
musketry  firing  steadily  grew  hotter  on  our  left.  An  offi- 
cer of  our  regiment  called  out, '  Spike  that  gun.'  Whether 
this  was  done  I  do  not  know,  for  we  fired  our  rifles  and 
fought  as  hard  as  we  could  to  return  the  fire  on  our  right. 

"But  the  rebel  fire  grew  hotter  on  our  right,  and  a 
field-piece  every  few  seconds  seemed  to  sweep  along  our 
rapidly  thinning  ranks.  Men  all  around  me  would  fall 
and  roll  down  the  scarp  into  the  ditch.  Just  at  the  very 
hottest  moment  of  the  struggle  a  battalion  or  regiment 
charged  up  to  the  moat  and  halted,  and  did  not  attempt 
to  cross  it  and  join  us,  but  from  their  position  commenced 
to  fire  upon  us.  I  was  one  of  the  men  who  shouted  from 
where  I  stood,  'Don't  fire  on  us!  We  are  the  Fifty- 
fourth!'  I  have  heard  it  was  a  Maine  regiment  This 
is  God's  living  truth !  Immediately  after  I  heard  an  or- 
der, '  Eetreat !'  Some  twelve  or  fifteen  of  us  slid  down 
from  our  position  on  the  parapet  of  the  fort. 

"  The  men-of-war  seemed  to  have  turned  their  guns  on 
the  fort,  and  the  fire  of  the  Confederates  on  the  right 
seemed  to  increase  in  power.  The  line  of  retreat  seemed 
lit  with  infernal  fire ;  the  hissing  bullets  and  bursting 
shells  seemed  angry  demons. 

"  I  was  with  Hooker's  division,  cooking  for  Colonel  B. 
C.  Tilghman,  of  the  Twenty-sixth  Pennsylvania  Regiment, 
in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  when  General  Burnside 
commanded.  I  traversed  the  Hazel  Dell  Marr,  the  Stone 
House,  when  all  the  enemy's  artillery  was  turned  upon  it ; 
but  hot  as  the  fire  was  there,  it  did  not  compare  to  the 
terrific  fire  which  blazed  along  the  narrow  approach  to 
Wagner. 

"  I  care  not  who  the  man  is  who  denies  the  fact,  our 


198  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

regiment  did  charge  the  fort  and  drove  the  rebels  from 
their  guns.  Many  of  our  men  will  join  me  in  saying  that 
in  the  early  stages  of  the  fight  we  had  possession  of  the 
sea  end  of  Battery  Wagner.  Indeed,  most  of  the  colored 
prisoners  taken  there  were  captured  inside  the  battery. 

"When  we  reached  the  Gatling  Battery  drawn  up  to 
repel  the  counter-attack,  I  remember  you  were  the  only 
commissioned  officer  present,  and  you  placed  us  indis- 
criminately— that  is,  without  any  regard  to  companies — 
in  line,  and  prepared  to  renew  the  charge.  The  com- 
manding officer,  whom  I  do  not  know,  ordered  us  to  the 
flanking  rifle-pits,  and  we  there  awaited  the  expected 
counter-charge  the  enemy  did  not  make." 

Captain  Emilio,  who  was  an  intelligent  and  experienced 
officer,  thought  that  in  all  probability  the  enemy  would 
make  a  counter  -  assault,  having  driven  the  Negro  troops 
from  the  fort,  and  in  forming  a  new  line  of  battle,  he 
was  preparing  for  such  a  contingency.  Fortunately  for 
the  Union  forces  no  counter  -  assault  was .  delivered,  al- 
though a  desultory  firing  was  maintained  nearly  all  night. 
Some  time  after  midnight  General  Thomas  G.  Stevenson 
called  upon  Captain  Emilio,  where  he  held  the  front  line, 
and  personally  thanked  him  for  the  dispositions  he  had 
made,  and  promised  to  relieve  his  gallant  but  weary  com- 
mand. Accordingly,  the  Tenth  Connecticut  relieved  the 
Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  at  two  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing, July  19th.  Captain  Emilio  had  rallied  the  stragglers 
of  other  regiments  on  the  front  line,  and  now  that  he  was 
relieved  he  sent  these  men  to  the  rear  by  detachments 
to  join  their  regiments.  With  the  remnant  of  the  Fifty- 
fourth  he  went  into  bivouac  for  the  night  a  short  distance 
to  the  rear,  where  also  some  officers  and  men  of  this  regi- 
ment had  been  swept  by  the  tide  of  battle,  which  unfort- 
unately had  gone  the  wrong  way  that  night.  On  the  fol- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  199 

lowing  morning  Captain  Emilio,  still  being  in  command 
of  the  regiment,  led  it  to  an  old  camp  formerly  occupied 
by  the  command  near  the  south  end  of  Morris  Island. 

The  appalling  list  of  casualties  shows  how  bravely  this 
Negro  regiment  had  done  its  duty,  and  the  unusually 
large  number  of  men  missing  proves  that  the  regiment 
had  fought  its  way  into  the  fort,  and  if  properly  sup- 
ported, Wagner  would  have  been  captured.  Colonel  Shaw 
led  about  six  hundred  enlisted  men  and  twenty-two  offi- 
cers into  this  action.  Of  the  enlisted  men  thirty-one  were 
killed,  one  hundred  and  thirty -five  wounded,  and  ninety- 
two  missing.  Of  the  twenty -two  officers  participating 
three  were  killed  and  eleven  were  wounded.  Nearly  half 
of  the  enlisted  men  were  killed,  wounded,  or  missing, 
while  more  than  one-half  of  the  officers  were  either  killed 
or  wounded. 

From  a  purely  military  stand-point  the  assault  upon 
Fort  Wagner  was  a  failure,  but  it  furnished  the  severest 
test  of  Negro  valor  and  soldiership.  It  was  a  mournful 
satisfaction  to  the  advocates  of  Negro  soldiers  to  point 
the  doubting,  sneering,  stay-at-home  Negro -haters  to  the 
murderous  trenches  of  Wagner.  The  Negro  soldier  had 
seen  his  red-letter  day,  and  his  title  to  patriotic  courage 
was  written  in  his  own  blood.  Pleased  with  the  splendid 
behavior  of  the  regiment  in  particular  and  the  special 
courage  of  several  enlisted  men,  General  Gillmore  award- 
ed a  medal  to  the  following  soldiers  of  the  Fifty-fourth  : 
Sergeant  Robert  J.  Simmonsy  Company  B ;  Sergeant  Will- 
iam H.  Carney,  Company  C ;  Corporal  Henry  F.  Peal, 
Company  F ;  and  Private  George  Wilson,  Company  A. 

But  it  would  be  unjust  to  forget  the  gallant  color- 
sergeant  John  Wall  who  fell  in  the  outer  trench.  He 
was  a  brave  and  competent  soldier,  but  after  the  United 
States  colors  had  been  taken  up  and  borne  to  the  top  of 


200  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

the  parapet,  henceforth  history  seems  to  have  kept  her 
jealous  eye  upon  Sergeant  William  H.  Carney,  the  heroic 
self-appointed  successor  to  Sergeant  John  Wall.  Sergeant 
Carney  planted  his  flag  upon  the  ramparts  of  the  rebel 
fort,  and  after  having  received  three  severe  wounds, 
brought  it  to  the  rear  stained  with  his  own  blood — 

"Glares  the  volcanic  breath, 
Breaks  the  red  sea  of  death, 
From  "Wagner's  yawning  hold, 
On  the  besiegers  bold. 
Twice  vain  the  wild  attack, 
Inch  by  inch,  sadly  slow, 
Fights  the  torn  remnant  back, 
Face  to  the  foe. 

"  Yet  free  the  colors  wave, 
Borne  by  yon  Afric  brave, 
In  the  fierce  storm  wind  higher; 
But,  ah !  one  flashing  fire : 
He  sinks!  the  banner  falls 

From  the  faint,  mangled  limb, 
And  droop  to  mocking  walls 
Those  star-folds  dim. 

"  Stay,  stay  the  taunting  laugh! 
See!  now  he  lifts  the  staff, 
Clinched  in  his  close-set  teeth, 
Crawls  from  dead  heaps  beneath. 
Crowned  with  his  starry  robe, 
Till  he  the  ranks  has  found: 
'  Comrades,  the  dear  old  flag 
Ne'er  touched  the  ground. ' 

"  O  man  so  pure,  so  grand, 
Sidney  might  clasp  thy  hand! 
O  brother !  black  thy  skin, 
But  white  the  pearl  within ! 
Man,  who  to  lift  thy  race 

Worthy,  thrice  worthy  art, 
Clasps  thee,  in  warm  embrace 
A  Nation's  heart." 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        201 

The  State  colors  were  lost  in  the  unequal  struggle  at 
the  beach  end  of  the  fort.  The  rebel  general  Ripley 
took  them  to  England  with  him,  saying  that  whenever 
Massachusetts  should  elect  a  Democrat  as  governor  he 
would  return  the  flag.  Twelve  years  later  William  Gas- 
ton,  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party  of  the  Com- 
monwealth, was  chosen  governor.  True  to  his  resolve, 
General  Ripley  returned  the  flag  to  the  State  Govern- 
ment, accompanied  by  a  polite  note,  and  after  an  absence 
of  nearly  thirteen  years  the  beautiful  banner  came  back 
to  Boston,  that  had  witnessed  its  presentation  on  the 
Common ;  and  on  the  17th  of  June,  1875,  on  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  it  was 
borne  in  the  imposing  procession  by  an  ex-member  of  the 
Fifty-fourth  who  had  fought  under  its  folds  Saturday 
night,  July  18, 1863  !  Its  wanderings  are  ended  forever, 
and  now  it  hangs  permanently  in  its  appointed  place 
among  the  regimental  flags  of  the  troops  of  Massachu- 
setts. Like  many  of  the  other  flags  it  is  rent  by  bullets 
and  faded  by  a  Southern  sun,  but  it  will  tell  to  genera- 
tion after  generation  the  matchless  story  of  Negro  patri- 
otism and  valor. 

General  Ripley's  generous  and  noble  letter  deserves  a 
place  in  history : 

"8  Stanhope  Terrace,  Gloster  Road,  South  Kensington, 

"  London,  January  12, 1875. 
"  To  his  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts: 

"I  have  the  honor  to  forward  to  your  Excellency  the  Regimental 
color  for  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  which  was  taken 
in  action  on  the  evening  of  the  18th  of  July,  1863,  by  the  garrison  of 
Battery  Wagner,  under  General  Taliaferro,  being  a  part  of  the  forces 
defending  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  under  my  command,  when  that 
work  was  assaulted  by  the  Federal  troops  under  General  Gillmore. 

"  Since  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  in  America  I  have  been  generally 
absent  from  the  country,  and  I  have  seen  with  regret  the  failure  of  ex- 


202  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

pedients  attempted  to  restore  peace  and  content  to  the  Southern 
States. 

"  It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  the  lapse  of  time  and  the  course  of 
events  have  produced  a  less  imbittered  state  of  public  feeling  than  that 
which  existed  just  after  the  close  of  the  strife.  Under  the  existing 
state  of  things  I  deem  it  decorous,  if  not  a  positive  duty,  to  promote 
the  oblivion  of  the  animosities  which  led  to  and  were  engendered  by 
the  war. 

"  Such  being  the  case,  I  prefer  to  look  upon  trophies  of  the  character 
of  the  color  in  question  as  mementos  of  the  gallant  conduct  of  men 
who  like  Shaw,  Putnam,  and  other  sons  of  Massachusetts  sealed  their 
devotion  to  the  cause  which  they  adopted  with  their  lives,  rather  than 
as  evidences  of  prowess  on  the  one  side  or  the  other.  The  custodians 
of  such  a  memento,  I  think,  should  be  the  authorities  of  the  State 
served  by  these  gallant  men,  and  I  therefore  transmit  the  flag  to  your 
Excellency  for  such  disposition  as  the  authorities  of  Massachusetts 
shall  determine.  Very  respectfully, 

"Your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  "  R.  S.  RIPLEY." 

At  the  battle  of  Thermopylae  three  hundred  Spartans 
held  the  pass  against  an  enormous  army,  and  yet  history 
has  made  Leonidas  representative  of  them  all.  Many 
brave  soldiers  fell  in  the  forlorn  assault  upon  Fort  Wag- 
ner, but  when  some  great  painter  has  patriotic  inspira- 
tion to  give  this  battle  an  immortal  representation,  Colonel 
Shaw  will  be  the  central  figure  ;  and  America  will  only 
remember  one  name  in  this  conflict  for  all  time  to  come 
—Colonel  Robert  Gould  Shaw !  This  was  a  noble  and 
precious  life,  but  it  was  cheerfully  consecrated  to  human 
freedom  and  the  regeneration  of  the  nation.  He  had 
good  blood,  splendid  training,  wide  experience  for  one 
so  young,  and  had  inherited  strong  antislavery  senti- 
ments. When  he  had  fallen,  a  flag  of  truce  called  for  his 
body.  A  rebel  officer  responded,  "  We  have  buried  him 
with  his  niggers."  It  was  thought  thus  to  cast  indignity 
upon  the  hero  dead,  but  it  was  a  failure.  The  colonel 
and  his  men  were  united  in  life,  and  it  was  fitting  that 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         203 

they  should  not  be  separated  in  death.  In  this  idea  his 
father  joined,  and  the  following  letter  exhibits  his  feel- 
ings: 

"Brigadier-general  Qillmore,  commanding  Department  of  the  South  : 

"SiR, — I  take  the  liberty  to  address  you  because  I  am  informed 
that  efforts  are  to  be  made  to  recover  the  body  of  my  son,  Colonel 
Shaw,  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  which  was  buried 
at  Fort  Wagner.  My  object  in  writing  is  to  say  that  such  efforts  are 
not  authorized  by  me  or  any  of  my  family,  and  that  they  are  not  ap- 
proved by  us.  We  hold  that  a  soldier's  most  appropriate  burial-place 
is  on  the  field  where  he  has  fallen.  I  shall  therefore  be  much  obliged, 
General,  if,  in  case  the  matter  is  brought  to  your  cognizance,  you  will 
forbid  the  desecration  of  my  son's  grave,  and  prevent  the  disturbance 
of  his  remains  or  those  buried  with  him.  With  most  earnest  wishes 
for  your  success,  I  am,  sir,  with  respect  and  esteem, 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"FRANCIS  GEORGE  SHAW. 
"  New  York,  August  24, 1863." 

Instead  of  dishonoring  the  remains  of  Colonel  Shaw 
by  burying  him  with  his  brave  black  soldiers,  the  intend- 
ed ignominy  was  transformed  into  a  beautiful  bow  of 
promise  that  was  to  span  forever  the  future  of  the  race 
for  which  he  gave  his  life.  lie  was  representative  of  all 
that  was  good  in  American  life ;  he  had  wealth,  high 
social  position,  and  the  broadest  culture.  From  his  ex- 
alted station  he  chose  to  fight  with  and  for  Negro  troops 
— not  only  to  lead  them  in  conflict,  but  to  die  for  them 
and  the  Republic ;  and  although  separated  from  them  in 
civil  life,  nevertheless  he  united  the  rich  and  the  poor, 
the  learned  and  the  unlearned,  the  white  and  black,  in 
his  military  apotheosis. 

"  '  They  buried  him  with  his  niggers  1' 

Together  they  fought  and  died ; 
There  was  room  for  them  all  where  they  laid  him 
(The  grave  was  deep  and  wide), 


204:  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

For  his  beauty  and  youth  and  valor, 

Their  patience  and  love  and  pain; 
And  at  the  last  day  together 

They  shall  all  be  found  again. 

"  '  They  buried  him  with  his  niggers!' 

Earth  holds  no  prouder  grave; 
There  is  not  a  mausoleum 

In  the  world  beyond  the  wave 
That  a  nobler  tale  has  hallowed 

Or  a  purer  glory  crowned, 
Than  the  nameless  trench  where  they  buried 

The  brave  so  faithful  found. 

"  '  They  buried  him  with  his  niggers!' 

A  wide  grave  should  it  be. 
They  buried  more  in  that  shallow  trench 

Than  human  eye  could  see. 
Ay,  all  the  shames  and  sorrows 

Of  more  than  a  hundred  years 
Lie  under  the  weight  of  that  Southern  soil 

Despite  those  cruel  sneers. 

"  '  They  buried  him  with  his  niggers!' 

But  the  glorious  souls  set  free 
Are  leading  the  van  of  the  army 

That  fights  for  liberty. 
Brothers  in  death,  in  glory 

The  same  palm-branches  bear, 
And  the  crown  is  as  bright  o'er  the  sable  brows 

As  over  the  golden  hair." 

In  the  recklessly  fought  battle  of  Olustee  the  left  wing  of 
General  Seymour's  little  army  was  composed  of  three  Ne- 
gro regiments — the  Eighth  United  States  Colored  Troops, 
the  First  North  Carolina,1  and  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachu- 
setts Volunteers.  This  battle,  fought  on  the  20th  of  Feb- 


1  Subsequently  the  Thirty-fifth  United  States  Colored  Troops.— G. 
W.  W. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        205 

ruary,  1864,  was  one  of  the  severest  of  the  war ;  and  had 
it  not  been  for  the  stubborn  fighting  of  these  Negro 
troops  Seymour  would  have  been  routed  and  annihilated. 

During  the  closing  weeks  of  1863  the  Government  was 
somewhat  moved  by  rumors  that  Florida  might  be  restored 
to  the  Union  under  certain  contingencies.  General  Q.  A. 
Gillmore  proposed  an  expedition  into  that  State,  and  the 
President  approving  it,  sent  one  of  his  secretaries  to  join 
it.  It  was  placed  under  the  command  of  General  Truman 
Seymour,  and  set  sail  from  Hilton  Head  February  6, 
1864.  Jacksonville  was  occupied  the  next  afternoon, 
and  two  days  later  a  small  cavalry  force  under  Colonel 
Guy  Y.  Henry,  Fortieth  Massachusetts,  moved  westward 
along  a  road  running  parallel  to  the  railroad,  with  the  in- 
tention of  surprising  a  force  of  the  enemy.  The  move- 
ment was  successful,  resulting  in  the  capture  of  a  large 
amount  of  stores  and  four  guns.  Emboldened  by  this 
success,  Henry  pushed  forward  to  Baldwin,  where  he  beat 
off  the  enemy  and  captured  valuable  property.  Gillmore 
had  accompanied  Seymour  thus  far,  and  having  cautioned 
him  not  to  make  any  hostile  demonstration  for  the  pres- 
ent, returned  thence  to  Hilton  Head. 

On  the  17th  he  received  a  despatch  from  Seymour  that 
he  was  proposing  to  push  forward  to  the  Suwannee  River. 
Gillmore  sent  a  despatch  of  even  date  disapproving  the 
proposed  expedition,  but  the  next  news  he  received  was 
of  the  disaster  at  Olustee. 

With  a  force  short  of  five  thousand  men,  of  all  arms, 
Seymour  broke  camp  at  Barber's  Station  at  7  A.M.  Sat- 
urday, February  20,  1864,  and  moved  westward  towards 
Lake  City,  parallel  to  the  railroad.  The  force  consisted  of 
two  brigades.  Colonel  J.  R.  Hawley  commanded  the  First 
Brigade,  with  his  own  regiment,  the  Seventh  Connecticut ; 
Eighth  United  States  Colored  Troops,  Colonel  Charles  W. 


206  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

Fribley ;  Fortieth  Massachusetts  Mounted  Infantry,  Colo- 
nel Guy  Y.  Henry;  and  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire, 
Colonel  Joseph  C.  Abbott ;  Independent  Battalion  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Cavalry,  Major  Atherton  H.  Stevens ;  and  the 
Artillery,  twenty  guns,  being  Captain  Hamilton's,  Captain 
Langdon's,  Captain  Elder's  batteries,  and  one  section  of 
the  Third  Rhode  Island  Artillery.  The  Second  Brigade 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  William  H.  Barton,  and  con- 
sisted of  the  Forty-seventh,  Forty-eighth,  and  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifteenth  New  York,  the  Fifty-fourth  Massa- 
chusetts, and  First  North  Carolina  Volunteers.  Of  this 
force  three  regiments  were  Negroes — the  Eighth,  Fifty- 
fourth  Massachusetts,  and  First  North  Carolina. 

The  column  moved  steadily  forward,  with  the  cavalry 
in  front  and  the  artillery  distributed  along  the  line  of  in- 
fantry, from  7  A.M.  till  2  P.M.,  when  an  outpost  of  the  ene- 
my was  encountered.  For  some  reason  not  revealed  in 
his  report  Seymour  used  no  flankers,  and  the  enemy  drew 
him  into  ambush  before  he  was  aware  of  his  immediate 
presence.  Besides,  the  Union  force  was  weary  and  hun- 
gry, having  marched  sixteen  miles  over  heavy  roads  and 
through  numerous  swamps.  The  enemy  was  quietly  await- 
ing the  assault,  confident  of  success,  behind  earthworks 
extending  through  heavy  timber  and  his  flanks  covered 
by  impassable  swamps. 

One  section  of  Elder's  battery  was  brought  into  action 
right,  but  the  enemy  made  no  response.  The  Seventh 
Connecticut  and  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire  were  or- 
dered to  assault  the  enemy's  right,  and  moved  into  action 
with  spirit  and  gallantry.  The  enemy  now  opened  a  ter- 
rific fire.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  the  enemy's  right 
lapped  Seymour's  left,  and  that  an  engagement  was  in 
progress  wherein  the  Union  forces  were  outnumbered  by 
about  five  to  one.  The  remainder  of  Hawley's  brigade 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  207 

was  at  once  brought  into  action.  The  enemy  held  his  fire 
in  the  centre  and  on  the  left  until  Hamilton's  battery  was 
brought  into  action, when  the  musketry  fire  was  severe; 
many  men  and  horses  were  killed  or  disabled  before  the 
guns  could  be  unlimbered  and  served.  Langdon's  battery 
now  came  into  action  on  the  extreme  left  amid  a  shower 
of  rebel  musket-balls,  and  four  guns  were  fought  with 
skill  within  about  one  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  lines. 
Amid  the  roar  of  battle  Seymour  gave  an  order  contract- 
ing the  left  flank  of  his  infantry  line,  which  left  the  artil- 
lery without  support.  In  about  thirty  minutes  forty -five 
of  the  eighty-two  men  in  the  artillery,  and  forty  out  of 
the  fifty  battery  horses,  were  killed  and  wounded.  The 
two  regiments  on  the  right  began  to  give  way,  recoiling 
slowly  and  stubbornly  before  a  fierce  fire.  They  were  or- 
dered to  the  rear,  and  the  Eighth  United  States  Colored 
Troops  charged  in  on  the  right,  led  by  that  gallant  officer 
Colonel  Charles  W.  Fribley.  Next  came  Barton's  brigade, 
splendidly  led  to  the  conflict ;  but  the  enemy  was  yet  un- 
moved behind  his  cover,  whence  he  delivered  a  destructive 
fire. 

Seymour  now  ordered  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  to 
relieve  Colonel  Fribley's  regiment,  and  the  men  double- 
quicked  to  their  work  with  hearty  cheers. 

The  First  North  Carolina  Yolunteers  was  ordered  into 
action  on  the  extreme  right,  and  Barton's  brigade,  march- 
ing in  columns  en  echelon,  moved  steadily  to  the  assault. 
Lieutenant-colonel  William  N.  Reed,  splendidly  mounted, 
with  drawn  sword,  led  the  First  North  Carolina  against 
the  enemy's  left.  It  was  reported  of  Reed  that  he  was 
bound  to  both  races  by  the  ties  of  consanguinity ;  that  he 
was  educated  in  Germany,  and  that  in  the  army  of  that 
empire  he  had  reached  the  etat-major,  having  graduated 
from  the  military  school  at  Keil.  He  was  an  able  officer, 


208  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

whose  conspicuous  gallantry  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
officers  of  other  troops  who  saw  the  First  North  Carolina 
led  thus  splendidly  to  battle. 

However,  unable  to  drive  back  the  enemy's  left,  Sey- 
mour's right  recoiled ;  but  the  centre  held  its  ground  until 
the  troops  were  withdrawn  in  excellent  order. 

Seymour  was  almost  recklessly  brave,  exposing  himself 
at  every  point  along  his  entire  line  of  battle,  but  his  troops 
could  not  successfully  contend  with  such  an  enemy  in  such 
a  place.  Colonel  Fribley  was  now  dead  on  the  field  ;  Cap- 
tain Hamilton,  with  a  broken  arm  and  a  bullet  in  his 
thigh,  was  still  the  inspiring  presence  on  the  left.  Lieu- 
tenant -  colonel  Reed,  already  wounded,  and  his  major, 
Archibald  Bogle,  now  stretched  upon  the  field  severely 
injured,  hearing  that  his  brave  and  accomplished  adju- 
tant, William  C.  Manning,  had  been  struck,  embraced  the 
young  lieutenant  and  implored  him  to  leave  the  field ; 
but  Manning,  a  born  soldier,  with  all  the  noble  instincts 
of  an  educated  New  England  gentleman,  would  not  leave 
his  regiment  at  such  a  critical  moment,  and  in  remain- 
ing he  fell  wounded  again  at  the  moment  Colonel  Reed 
received  a  mortal  hurt. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  slight  diversion,  Seymour,  almost 
with  superhuman  energy  and  tact,  re-established  his  bat- 
teries in  the  centre,  and  in  withdrawing  his  decimated 
forces  delivered  some  effective  parting  shots  at  the  victo- 
rious enemy. 

Had  the  advance  been  conducted  with  the  same  cau- 
tious, soldierly  calculations  which  characterized  the  retreat 
the  conflict  would  have  ended  in  a  victory  for  the  Union. 
However,  when  he  reached  Baldwin  and  Jacksonville,  Sey- 
mour again  lost  his  head ;  for  having  lost  about  250  killed 
and  1,200  wounded,  he  now  destroyed  over  one  million 
dollars'  worth  of  Government  stores. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  209 

Although  the  battle  of  Olustee  was  not  a  victory,  yet  it 
furnished  an  opportunity  for  martial  valor  of  the  highest 
order,  and  the  opportunity  was  fully  appreciated  and  em- 
ployed by  all  the  troops,  but  by  none  more  than  the  gal- 
lant Negro  regiments. 

It  seemed  to  be  the  fate  of  the  Negro  troops  in  the  De- 
partment of  the  South  to  lead  a  forlorn  hope.  First  came 
the  bold  and  perilous  stroke  of  the  South  Edisto  Expedi- 
tion to  burn  a  bridge  fifteen  miles  above  Wiltown  Bluff  to 
aid  General  Sherman ;  then  came  the  assault  upon  Fort 
"Wagner,  next  the  bloody  and  fruitless  action  at  Olustee; 
and  on  the  30th  of  November,  1864,  came  the  battle  of 
Honey  Hill,  in  which  several  regiments  of  Negroes  added 
to  the  laurels  they  had  won  on  other  fields.  General  Hal- 
leek  had  instructed  General  J.  G.  Foster,  commanding  the 
Sea  Islands,  to  make  a  demonstration  by  land  to  aid  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  who  was  expected  to  make  his  appearance 
near  Pocotaligo  towards  the  close  of  November.  General 
Foster  found  that  he  could  spare  about  five  thousand  men 
for  this  purpose,  and  at  the  head  of  this  force  he  ascended 
Broad  River  by  transports  and  landed  at  Boyd's  Neck. 
General  J.  P.  Hatch  was  pushed  forward  to  seize  and  de- 
stroy the  Charleston  and  Savannah  railroad  near  Grahams- 
ville,  in  the  Beaufort  district.  General  Hatch  missed  his 
way  and  failed  to  reach  the  railroad  that  day,  and  on  the 
following  morning,  November  30th,  he  found  himself  con- 
fronted by  a  powerful  enemy  intrenched  upon  Honey  Hill. 
His  advance-guard  felt  the  foe  and  drew  his  fire,  but  he 
warily  fell  back,  leading  the  Union  troops  into  a  very 
death-trap.  The  fortified  position  of  the  enemy  was  about 
two  miles  and  a  half  from  Grahamsville.  There  was  a 
semicircular  line  of  light  earthworks  forming  the  centre 
of  the  enemy's  lines;  his  left  extended  far  out  into  pine 
lands  and  his  right  along  a  substantial  fence  that  skirted 
14 


210  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

a  swamp.  His  batteries  commanded  a  narrow  road,  and 
even  this  was  overflowed  at  times  for  many  yards  by  the 
swamp  that  was  swollen  by  an  overflowing  creek  near  by. 
A  few  yards  beyond  the  swamp  the  main  road  turned  off 
to  the  left,  making  an  obtuse  angle,  and  a  smaller  and  less 
frequented  road  turned  off  to  the  right.  By  a  happy  co- 
incidence the  Negro  brigade  under  Colonel  A.  S.  Hartwell 
was  singing  a  magnificent  song  when  the  enemy  made  his 
presence  known  by  a  destructive  fire. 

"Ho,  boys,  chains  are  breaking, 
Bondsmen  fast  awaking, 
Tyrant  hearts  are  quaking, 
Southward  we  are  making. 

Huzza!  huzza! 

.  Our  song  shall  be 

Huzza!  huzza! 
That  we  are  free! 

*  *  *  # 

"Our  flag's  Red,  White,  and  Blue; 
We'll  bear  it  marching  through, 
With  rifles  swift  and  true, 
And  bayonets  gleaming  too. 
Huzza!  huzza!  etc. 

*  *  *  * 

"No  more  for  trader's  gold 
Shall  those  we  love  be  sold ; 
Nor  crushed  be  manhood  bold 
In  slavery's  dreaded  fold. 
Huzza!  huzza!  etc. 

"But  each  and  all  be  free 
As  singing-bird  in  tree, 
Or  winds  that  whistling  flee 
O'er  mountain,  vale,  and  sea. 
Huzza!  huzza!  etc." 

As  soon  as  the  first  line  of  battle  could  be  formed  the 
Thirty-second  Negro  Infantry  was  ordered  to  carry  the 


Df  THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  211 

enemy's  earthworks  with  the  bayonet ;  but  the  marsh 
was  found  to  be  impassable  at  the  designated  point  of  as- 
sault. This  regiment  was  withdrawn  and  the  Thirty- 
fifth  Negro  Infantry  was  gallantly  led  to  the  assault ; 
but  it  was  impossible  to  reach  within  effective  assaulting 
position,  and  under  a  terrific  concentric  fire  the  regiment 
recoiled  upon  the  reserve.  At  last  the  Fifty-fourth  Mas- 
sachusetts, holding  the  right  of  Colonel  Hartwell's  bri- 
gade, was  ordered  forward.  It  moved  as  if  on  dress  parade, 
while  the  enemy's  guns  and  musketry  swept  the  narrow 
gap.  It  did  not  recoil,  the  lines  merely  quivered  under 
the  raking  fire.  In  a  moment  the  gallant  Colonel  Hart- 
well  rode  up  and  gave  the  order — "  Follow  your  colors !" 
and  led  the  regiment  to  desperate  fighting.  The  colonel 
was  wounded  in  the  hand,  yet  he  refused  to  leave  the  field ; 
but  the  fighting  effected  nothing.  Finally  the  Fifty-fifth 
was  formed  in  line  of  battle,  with  close  column  on  com- 
pany front.  These  troops  fought  with  almost  reckless 
bravery,  but  it  was  impossible  to  reach  the  enemy's  bat- 
teries. While  in  the  midst  of  the  swamp  Colonel  Hart- 
well's  horse  was  torn  to  pieces  by  the  explosion  of  a 
shell,  and  the  gallant  horseman  yras  again  wounded.  In 
the  fall  both  became  involved,  and  it  was  only  by  the 
most  desperate  exertions  that  he  was  extricated  and  borne 
to  the  rear  in  the  strong  and  tender  arms  of  his  own 
men.  In  this  service  one  was  killed  and  another  severely 
wounded,  while  the  colonel  was  again  struck  before  he 
was  beyond  the  range  of  the  enemy's  guns.  A  Confeder- 
ate account  of  this  engagement  does  not  overlook  or  ig- 
nore the  splendid  fighting  of  the  Negro  troops.  Early 
in  December,  1864,  The  Savannah  Republican  (Confeder- 
ate) gave  the  following  account  of  the  battle  of  Honey 
Hill: 

"  The  Negroes,  as  usual,  formed  the  advance,  and  had 


212  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

nearly  reached  the  creek  when  our  batteries  opened  upon 
them  down  the  road  with  a  terrible  volley  of  special  case. 
This  threw  them  into  temporary  confusion,  but  the  en- 
tire force,  estimated  at  five  thousand,  was  quickly  restored 
to  order,  and  thrown  into  a  line  of  battle  parallel  with  our 
own,  up  and  down  the  margin  of  the  swamp.  Thus  the 
battle  raged  from  eleven  in  the  morning  till  dark.  The 
enemy's  centre  and  left  were  most  exposed  and  suffered 
terribly.  Their  right  was  posted  behind  an  old  dam  that 
ran  through  the  swamp,  and  it  maintained  its  position  till 
the  close  of  the  fight.  Our  left  was  very  much  exposed, 
and  an  attempt  was  once  or  twice  made  by  the  enemy  to 
turn  it  by  advancing  through  the  swamp  and  up  the  hill, 
but  they  were  driven  back  without  a  prolonged  struggle. 

"  The  centre  and  left  of  the  enemy  fought  with  a  des- 
perate earnestness.  Several  attempts  were  made  to  charge 
our  batteries,  and  many  got  nearly  across  the  swamp,  but 
were  in  every  instance  forced  back  by  'the  galling  fire 
poured  into  them  from  our  lines.  We  made  a  visit  to  the 
field  the  day  following,  and  found  the  road  literally  strewn 
with  their  dead.  Some  eight  or  ten  bodies  were  floating 
in  the  water  where  the  road  crosses,  and  in  a  ditch  on  the 
roadside  just  beyond  we  saw  six  Negroes  piled  one  on 
top  of  the  other.  A  colonel  of  one  of  the  Negro  regi- 
ments, with  his  horse,  was  killed  while  fearlessly  leading 
his  men  across  the  creek  in  a  charge.  With  that  excep- 
tion, all  the  dead  and  wounded  officers  were  carried  off  by 
the  enemy  during  the  night.  Many  traces  were  left  where 
they  were  dragged  from  the  woods  to  the  road  and  thrown 
into  ambulances  or  carts.  We  counted  some  sixty  or  sev- 
enty bodies  in  the  space  of  about  an  acre,  many  of  which 
were  horribly  mutilated  by  shells,  some  with  half  their 
heads  shot  off,  and  others  completely  disembowelled.  The 
artillery  was  served  with  great  accuracy,  and  we  doubt  if 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        213 

any  battle-field  of  the  war  presents  such  havoc  among  the 
trees  ,and  shrubbery.  Immense  pines  and  other  growth 
were  cut  short  off  or  torn  into  shreds." 

In  many  other  engagements  in  the  Department  of  the 
South  Negro  troops  maintained  their  reputation  for  steadi- 
ness and  courage  so  dearly  earned  at  Wagner  and  Olustee. 
Their  officers  had  unbounded  confidence  in  them,  and  the 
white  troops,  who  at  first  shrank  from  their  comradeship, 
soon  esteemed  it  an  honor  to  be  associated  with  them  in 
camp  and  in  battle.  Every  duty  was  discharged  joyfully, 
every  privation  and  pain  endured  heroically,  and  but  one 
thought  animated  them  from  first  to  last,,  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  national  life  with  the  death  of  slavery.  To- 
compass  this  end  there  were  no  trials  too  severe,  no  duties 
too  arduous,  no  death  too  bitter.  In  all  the  engagements 
in  which  they  participated,  as  far  as  it  was  possible,  their 
officers  sought  for  them  the  posts  of  danger  and  honor. 
Danger  never  awed  them  and  honor  never  spoiled  them. 
They  were  equal  to  every  military  contingency,  and  nei- 
ther General  Hunter  nor  the  Government  ever  had  occa- 
sion to  regret  the  military  employment  of  Negroes  in  the 
Department  of  the  South. 


214  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


CHAPTER  X. 

IN   THE   MISSISSIPPI   VALLEY    (1863). 

BY  some  fateful  fortuitous  circumstance  the  first  fight- 
ing of  Negro  troops  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  was  as  severe 
and  fruitless  as  that  of  their  brethren  and  comrades  in  the 
Department  of  the  South.  Port  Hudson  and  Fort  Wag- 
ner, where  the  Negro  soldier  earned  his  reputation  for 
valor,  were  much  alike.  Both  were  strongly  fortified; 
one  was  protected  by  a  bayou  under  its  very  guns,  the 
other  had  made  captive  the  ocean  in  its  treacherous 
trenches;  and  in  each  instance  the  service  to  be  per- 
formed demanded  the  highest  qualities  of  courage,  steadi- 
ness, endurance,  and  prompt  obedience. 

General  Grant  was  busy  with  the  work  of  reducing 
Vicksburg.  He  had  proposed  to  General  N.  P.  Banks, 
who  held  the  lower  Mississippi,  to  join  their  forces  for 
the  reduction  of  Port  Hudson  or  Vicksburg  first,  and  then 
to  assault  the  other  position  vigorously.  General  Banks 
could  not  well  leave  New  Orleans  to  the  mercy  of  Gen- 
eral Richard  Taylor,  who,  the  moment  he  should  learn  of 
Banks's  absence  up  the  river,  would  move  into  Louisiana 
from  Texas  with  a  fresh  army.  On  the  12th  of  May, 
1863,  General  Grant  had  crossed  the  Mississippi  and  en- 
tered upon  his  siege  against  Vicksburg.  General  Banks, 
who  had  been  on  the  Atchafalaya,  landed  at  Bayou  Sara 
at  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  May,  and 
immediately  proceeded  to  embark  a  portion  of  his  force 
on  steamers,  and  the  remainder  moved  up  the  west  bank 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  215 

of  the  river.  On  the  23d  he  formed  a  junction  with  the 
forces  under  Major-general  Auger  and  Brigadier-general 
Sherman,  who  had  advanced  within  five  miles  of  Port 
Hudson.  General  Gardner,  commanding  the  rebel  forces 
at  Port  Hudson,  despatched  Colonel  Miles  to  defeat  the 
proposed  junction  of  Union  troops  behind  his  fastness. 
Colonel  Miles  attempted  to  strike  Auger's  flank  while  on 
the  march,  but  was  assaulted  vigorously  and  driven  back 
with  severe  loss.  The  right  wing  of  General  Banks's 
army,  consisting  of  the  troops  under  Generals  "Weitzel, 
Grover,  and  Dwight,  struck  the  enemy  with  vigor,  and 
compelled  him  to  contract  his  outer  lines  and  retire  with- 
in his  intrenchments  on  the  25th.  The  investment  of 
Port  Hudson  was  now  complete,  and  on  the  morning  of 
the  27th  a  grand  assault  was  ordered  upon  the  enemy's 
position.  During  the  previous  night  the  First  and  Third 
regiments  of  Louisiana  Native  Guards,  the  only  Negro 
troops  under  General  Banks,  had  been  on  the  march. 
They  had  been  some  months  in  garrison,  but  this  was 
their  first  movement  towards  active  military  service.  The 
dust  was  thick,  the  air  heavy,  and  the  heat  oppressive. 
The  morning  of  the  27th  dawned  upon  these  Negro 
troops  with  a  sort  of  sullen  silence.  The  sky  was  flushed, 
and  Nature  seemed  to  hold  her  breath  in  horror  at  the 
terrible  slaughter  that  was  soon  to  take  place.  The  ene- 
my's works  had  been  constructed  with  skill  and  delibera- 
tion, at  a  time  when  the  slave  labor  of  that  vicinity  was 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  military  commander.  The 
works  formed  a  semicircle,  and  both  ends  extended  tow- 
ards the  river.  In  the  disposition  of  the  troops  the  two 
Negro  regiments  were  posted  upon  the  right,  immediately 
in  front  of  two  large  forts.  The  presence  of  these  troops 
in  the  Mississippi  Valley  had  caused  much  speculation 
and  considerable  feeling.  It  was  coldly  proposed  now  to 


216  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

subject  them  to  the  severest  test ;  and  the  men  them- 
selves were  not  less  anxious  to  win  a  name  than  the  white 
soldiers  were  desirous  to  see  them  tried  in  the  fires  of  bat- 
tle. The  assault  was  intended  to  be  simultaneous  all  along 
the  line.  At  5.40  A.M.  General  Banks's  artillery  opened 
upon  the  rebel  works,  but  the  attack  on  the  right  was  not 
ordered  until  ten  o'clock,  and  the  left  did  not  assault  un- 
til two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  First  Regiment  of 
Native  Guards  was  composed  of  free  Negroes  of  means 
and  intelligence,  and  all  their  line  officers  were  Negroes : 
the  regiment  was  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant-colo- 
nel Chauncy  J.  Bassett ;  while  the  Third  Regiment  Na- 
tive Guards,  mostly  ex-slaves,  had  white  line  officers,  and 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  John  A.  Nelson.  Colonel 
Nelson  was  placed  in  the  position  of  Brigadier -general, 
and  Lieutenant -colonel  Henry  Finnegas  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  regiment.  This  Negro  force  numbered 
1,080,  and  was  formed  in  four  lines.  The  first  two  lines 
were  led  by  Lieutenant-colonel  Bassett.  When  the  order 
for  the  assault  was  given,  the  men  moved  forward  in  quick 
time,  and  then  changed  it  into  double-quick.  The  line 
was  almost  perfect,  and  the  movement  was  executed  with 
spirit  and  dash.  The  enemy  held  his  fire  until  the  as- 
saulting column  was  within  four  hundred  yards  of  the 
point  of  attack.  Suddenly  the  earth  quaked,  and  a  sheet 
of  fire  flashed  along  the  forts ;  a  cloud  of  smoke  rose  over 
the  ramparts,  and  the  air  was  filled  with  demons  of  de- 
struction and  death — hissing,  screaming,  howling,  and  leap- 
ing at  their  black  victims  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning. 
The  slaughter  was  dreadful,  but  the  shattered,  quivering, 
bleeding  columns  only  wheeled  by  companies  to  the  rear, 
reformed  at  a  short  distance  from  the  foe,  and  again  gal- 
lantly dashed  down  through  the  Valley  of  Death  and 
charged  for  the  guns  on  the  bluff.  But  the  sixty -two 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  217 

pound  shot,  the  shell,  canister,  and  minie-ball  were  more 
than  infantry  could  contend  with  in  the  open  field ;  the 
pierced  and  thinned  columns  recoiled  before  such  terrible 
odds.  Lieutenant-colonel  Henry  Finnegas  fearlessly  led 
his  columns  to  the  assault  over  the  same  crimson  path, 
obstructed  by  the  dead  and  wounded,  ploughed  by  shell, 
but  lighted  forever  by  fadeless  deeds  of  martial  valor. 
The  mill  of  death  was  now  grinding  with  rapacious  greed. 
The  enemy  was  serving  his  guns  with  rapidity  and  accu- 
racy; the  Union  gunboats  were  hurling  monstrous  shot 
and  shell  into  the  river  side  of  the  enemy's  work ;  but  all 
eyes,  of  friend  and  foe,  were  turned  towards  the  remorse- 
less hell  of  conflict,  bristling  with  bayonets  and  glinting 
with  the  red  flash  of  shotted  cannon,  into  which  Negro 
troops  were  being  hurled  by  the  inexorable  orders  of 
Brigadier  -  general  William  D  wight.  It  was  of  no  avail 
that  these  troops  fought  like  white  veterans.  A  deep 
bayou  ran  under  the  guns  on  the  bluff,  and  although  the 
troops  reached  its  edge,  some  fifty  yards  from  the  ene- 
my's guns,  they  could  not  cross  it.  After  Colonel  Nelson 
had  become  convinced  that  his  men  could  not  carry  the 
forts,  he  despatched  an  aide  to  General  D  wight  to  report 
the  difficulties  he  had  to  contend  with.  "Tell  Colonel 
Nelson,"  he  sternly  said,  "  I  shall  consider  that  he  has 
accomplished  nothing  unless  he  takes  those  guns !" 

"Theirs  not  to  make  reply, 
Theirs  not  to  reason  why, 
Theirs  but  to  do  and  die." 

Not  a  man  faltered  when  the  torn  and  decimated  lines 
were  reformed  and  led  over  the  same  field  to  the  same 
terrible  fate.  Shell  and  solid  shot  severed  limbs  from 
trees,  tore  off  tops,  and,  in  falling,  these  caused  the  men 
much  annoyance.  The  colors  of  the  First  Louisiana  were 


218  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

pierced  by  bullets  and  almost  severed  from  the  staff.  The 
color-sergeant,  Anselmas  Planciancois,  was  gallantly  bear- 
ing the  colors  in  front  of  the  enemy's  works  when  a  shell 
cut  the  flag  in  two  and  carried  away  part  of  the  sergeant's 
head.  His  brains  and  blood  stained  the  beautiful  banner, 
which  fell  over  him  as  he  embraced  it  in  death.  In  a 
struggle  for  the  flag  the  generous  rivalry  of  two  corporals 
was  ended  by  the  shot  of  a  sharp-shooter  which  felled  one 
of  them.  He  dropped  upon  the  lifeless  body  of  the  color- 
sergeant,  while  his  successful  rival  carried  the  colors  proud- 
ly through  the  conflict.  Captain  Andre  Cailloux,  of  Com- 
pany E,  First  Regiment  Native  Guards,  won  for  himself  a 
proud  place  among  the  military  heroes  of  the  Negro  race 
for  all  time.  He  was  of  pure  Negro  blood,  but  his  feat- 
ures showed  the  result  of  generations  of  freedom  and  cult- 
ure among  his  ancestry.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  presence, 
a  leader  by  instinct  and  education.  He  was  possessed  of 
ample  means,  and  yet  was  not  alienated  from  his  race  in 
any  interest.  He  loved  to  boast  of  genuine  blackness, 
and  his  race  pride  made  him  an  acceptable,  successful,  and 
formidable  leader.  It  was  the  magnetic  thrill  of  his  pa- 
triotic utterances  that  rallied  a  company  for  the  service  of 
his  country  the  previous  year.  Upon  all  occasions  he  had 
displayed  talents  as  a  commander,  and  gave  promise  of 
rare  courage  when  the  trying  hour  should  come.  It  had 
come  at  length :  not  too  soon  for  this  eager  soldier,  if  un- 
happily too  early  for  the  cause  he  loved!  During  the 
early  part  of  this  action  the  enemy  had  trained  his  guns 
upon  the  colors  of  these  Negro  troops,  and  they  especial- 
ly received  the  closest  attention  of  the  sharp-shooters. 
Captain  Cailloux  commanded  the  color  company.  It  had 
suffered  severely  from  the  first,  but  the  gallant  captain 
was  seen  all  along  the  line  encouraging  his  men  by  brave 
words  and  inspiring  them  by  his  noble  example.  His  left 


IN   THE   WAR   OF  THE   REBELLION.  219 

arm  was  shattered,  but  he  refused  to  leave  the  field.  Now 
in  English  and  then  in  French,  with  his  voice  faint  from 
exhaustion,  he  urged  his  men  to  the  fullest  measure  of 
duty.  In  one  heroic  effort  he  rushed  to  the  front  of  his 
company  and  exclaimed,  "  Follow  me !"  When  within 
about  fifty  yards  of  the  fort  a  shell  smote  him  to  his  death, 
and  he  fell,  like  the  brave  soldier  he  was,  in  the  advance 
with  his  face  to  the  foe.  It  was  a  soldier's  death,  and  just 
what  he  would  have  chosen. 

"  '  Still  forward  and  charge  for  the  gum!'  said  Cailloux, 
And  his  shattered  sword-arm  was  the  guidon  they  knew. 
But  a  fire  rakes  the  flanks  and  a  fire  rakes  the  van; 
He  is  down  with  the  ranks  that  go  down  as  one  man." 

Six  desperate  charges  were  made  by  these  Negro  troops, 
and  after  it  was  evident  that  it  was  by  no  lack  of  courage 
on  their  part  that  the  guns  were  not  taken,  they  were  re- 
called from  the  scene  of  their  fierce  trial.  The  correspond- 
ent of  the  New  York  Times  gave  the  following  account  of 
the  conduct  of  these  regiments : 

"During  this  time  they  rallied,  and  were  ordered  to 
make  six  distinct  charges,  losing  thirty-seven  killed,  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty-five  wounded,  and  sixteen  missing, 
the  majority,  if  not  all,  of  these  being  in  all  probability 
now  lying  dead  on  the  gory  field,  and  without  the  rites  of 
sepulture ;  for  when  by  flag  of  truce  our  forces  in  other 
directions  were  permitted  to  reclaim  their  dead,  the  bene- 
fit, through  some  neglect,  was  not  extended  to  these  black 
regiments. 

"  The  deeds  of  heroism  performed  by  these  colored  men 
were  such  as  the  proudest  white  men  might  emulate. 
Their  colors  are  torn  to  pieces  by  shot,  and  literally  be- 
spattered by  blood  and  brains.  The  color-sergeant  of  the 
First  Louisiana,  on  being  mortally  wounded,  hugged  the 


220  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

colors  to  his  breast,  when  a  struggle  ensued  between  the 
two  color-corporals  on  each  side  of  him  as  to  who  should 
have  the  honor  of  bearing  the  sacred  standard,  and  during 
this  generous  contention  one  was  seriously  wounded.  One 
black  lieutenant  actually  mounted  the  enemy's  works  three 
or  four  times,  and  in  one  charge  the  assaulting  party  came 
within  fifty  paces  of  them.  Indeed,  if  only  ordinarily 
supported  by  artillery  and  reserve,  no  one  can  convince  us 
that  they  would  not  have  opened  a  passage  through  the 
enemy's  works. 

"Captain  Cailloux,  of  the  First  Louisiana,  a  man  so 
black  that  he  actually  prided  himself  upon  his  blackness, 
died  the  death  of  a  hero,  leading  on  his  men  in  the  thick- 
est of  the  fight.  One  poor  wounded  fellow  came  along 
with  his  arm  shattered  by  a  shell,  and  jauntily  swinging 
it  with  the  other,  as  he  said  to  a  friend  of  mine,  '  Massa, 
guess  I  can  fight  no  more.'  I  was  with  one  of  the  cap- 
tains, looking  after  the  wounded  going  in  the  rear  of  the 
hospital,  when  we  met  one  limping  along  towards  the 
front.  On  being  asked  where  he  was  going,  he  said,  '  I 
been  shot  bad  in  the  leg,  captain,  and  dey  want  me  to  go 
to  de  hospital,  but  I  guess  I  can  gib  'em  some  more  yet.' 
I  could  go  on  filling  your  columns  with  startling  facts  of 
this  kind,  but  I  hope  I  have  told  enough  to  prove  that  we 
can  hereafter  rely  upon  black  arms  as  well  as  white  in 
crushing  this  infernal  rebellion.  I  long  ago  told  you  there 
was  an  army  of  250,000  men  ready  to  leap  forward  in  de- 
fence of  freedom  at  the  first  call.  You  know  where  to 
find  them,  and  what  they  are  worth. 

"  Although  repulsed  in  an  attempt  which,  situated  as 
things  were,  was  all  but  impossible,  these  regiments, 
though  badly  cut  up,  are  still  on  hand,  and  burning  with 
a  passion  ten  times  hotter  from  their  fierce  baptism  of 
blood." 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        221 

On  the  30th  of  May,  1863,  General  Banks,  in  an  elabo- 
rate report  to  General  Halleck,  spoke  thus  flatteringly  of 
the  conduct  of  his  Negro  troops : 

"  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  report  that  they  answered  ev- 
ery expectation.  Their  conduct  was  heroic;  no  troops 
could  be  more  determined  or  more  daring.  They  made 
during  the  day  three  charges  upon  the  batteries  of  the 
enemy,  suffering  very  heavy  losses,  and  holding  their  po- 
sition at  nightfall  with  the  other  troops  on  the  right  of 
our  line.  The  highest  commendation  is  bestowed  upon 
them  by  all  the  officers  in  command  on  the  right.  What- 
ever doubt  may  have  existed  before  as  to  the  efficiency 
of  organizations  of  this  character,  the  history  of  this  day 
proves  conclusively  to  those  who  were  in  a  position  to 
observe  the  conduct  of  these  regiments,  that  the  Govern- 
ment will  find  in  this  class  of  troops  effective  supporters 
and  defenders. 

"  The  severe  test  to  which  they  were  subjected,  and  the 
determined  manner  in  which  they  encountered  the  enemy, 
leave  upon  my  mind  no  doubt  of  their  ultimate  success. 
They  require  only  good  officers,  commands  of  limited  num- 
bers, and  careful  discipline  to  make  them  excellent  sol- 
diers." 

Military  sentiment  was  completely  revolutionized  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley  respecting  the  Negro  as  a  man  and  a 
soldier;  and  the  Negro  himself,  with  the  confidence  of 
a  child  just  learning  to  walk,  was  now  conscious  of  his 
power,  and  was  anxious  to  consecrate  it  with  lavish  gen- 
erosity to  the  Government  with  whose  uniform  and  flag 
he  had  been  intrusted. 

The  Second  Regiment  Louisiana  Native  Guards,  al- 
though not  on  trial  at  Port  Hudson,  had  won  a  reputa- 
tion for  the  coolest  bravery  the  month  before.  While 
Brigadier-general  Sherman  was  in  command  of  the  de- 


222  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

fences  of  New  Orleans,  in  the  early  spring  of  1863,  the  Sec- 
ond Louisiana  was  stationed  at  Ship  Island,  Mississippi,  un- 
der the  command  of  Colonel  Naham  "W.  Daniels.  While 
the  enemy  was  pushing  forward  all  available  troops  from 
Mobile  to  reinforce  Charleston,  he  decided  upon  several 
demonstrations  up  the  Mississippi  Sound  by  land  and  wa- 
ter. Colonel  Daniels,  learning  that  the  enemy  contem- 
plated a  demonstration  in  the  direction  of  East  Pascagou- 
la,  determined  to  counter  this  movement.  Accordingly, 
on  the  9th  of  April,  1863,  he  embarked  with  Companies  B 
and  C,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  men.  At  9 
A.M.,  the  United  States  transport  General  Banks  landed 
the  detachment  at  Pascagoula,  and  Colonel  Daniels  pro- 
ceeded to  take  possession  of  the  hotel,  and  hauled  his 
colors  to  the  flag-staff.  He  immediately  threw  out  a 
picket-line,  the  town  was  taken  possession  of,  and  small 
squads  held  the  roads  leading  thereto.  Colonel  Daniels 
had  scarcely  made  his  dispositions  when  the  enemy's  cav- 
alry, numbering  over  three  hundred,  made  its  appear- 
ance on  the  Mobile  road.  The  Negro  pickets  were  driven 
in,  but  the  reserve  met  the  enemy  with  the  coolness  of 
veterans,  and  after  a  sharp  fight  drove  the  foe  off.  The 
cavalry  reformed,  and  made  a  dash  upon  the  force  holding 
the  hotel,  but  met  with  no  better  success.  Confederate 
infantry  executed  a  movement  upon  the  left  flank.  The 
lines  were  skilfully  and  deliberately  contracted,  and  then 
the  men  took  refuge  behind  an  old  wharf,  whence  they 
did  excellent  execution.  He  was  repulsed,  and  retired 
in  confusion.  In  a  short  time  the  enemy  made  a  deter- 
mined assault  upon  Colonel  Daniels's  centre,  but  the  black 
troops,  although  never  under  fire  before,  stood  up  to  their 
work  nobly.  The  enemy  went  under  cover  of  timber  and 
buildings,  but  the  gallant  little  Union  force  fought  in  the 
open  field  and  repulsed  the  assaulting  party. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        223 

The  fighting  continued  from  10  A.M.  till  2  P.M.,  when, 
the  enemy  having  retreated,  the  Union  force  retired  to 
their  transport  undisturbed,  the  undisputed  victors  of  the 
battle  of  East  Pascagoula. 

The  enemy's  loss  was  heavy,  both  in  killed  and  wounded, 
while  Colonel  Daniels's  force  sustained  a  loss  of  three 
killed  and  seven  wounded.  In  his  report  to  General  Sher- 
man, bearing  date  of  the  llth  of  April,  1863,  Colonel  Dan- 
iels says : 

"The  expedition  was  a  perfect  success,  accomplishing 
all  that  was  intended,  resulting  in  the  repulse  of  the  enemy 
in  every  engagement  with  great  loss.  .  .  .  Great  credit  is 
due  to  the  troops  engaged  for  their  unflinching  bravery 
and  steadiness  under  this  their  first  fire,  exchanging  volley 
after  volley  with  the  coolness  of  veterans,  and  for  their 
determined  tenacity  in  maintaining  their  position,  and  tak- 
ing advantage  of  every  success  that  their  courage  and  valor 
gave  them ;  and  also  to  their  officers,  who  were  cool  and 
determined  throughout  the  action,  fighting  their  commands 
against  five  times  their  number,  and  confident  throughout 
of  success — all  demonstrating  to  its  fullest  extent  that  the 
oppression  which  they  have  hitherto  undergone  from  the 
hands  of  their  foes,  and  the  obloquy  that  had  been  show- 
ered upon  them  by  those  who  should  have  been  friends, 
had  not  extinguished  their  manhood  or  suppressed  their 
bravery,  and  that  they  had  still  a  hand  to  wield  the  sword 
and  a  heart  to  vitalize  its  blow." 

In  his  masterful  effort  to  effect  the  reduction  of  Yicks- 
burg,  General  Grant  was  compelled  to  contract  his  long 
line  of  forts  extending  through  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and 
often  to  strip  important  posts  of  nearly  all  their  effective 
men.  He  was  confronted  by  Generals  Pemberton  and 
Johnson,  two  able  Confederate  leaders,  and  had  all  he 
could  do  to  force  an  opening  into  the  rebel  stronghold. 


224  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Milliken's  Bend  was  greatly  exposed  by  the  concentration 
of  troops  about  Vicksburg.  It  was  an  important  point  on 
the  river  in  the  State  of  Arkansas.  Brigadier-general  E. 
S.  Dennis  was  left  in  command  with  a  garrison  number- 
ing one  thousand  and  sixty-one  effectives,  whereof  the 
Twenty-third  Iowa,  Colonel  Glasgow,  mustered  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty,  and  the  remainder  of  the  force  consisted 
of  the  Ninth  and  Eleventh  Louisiana  and  the  First  Mis- 
sissippi, all  Negroes.  These  latter  troops  had  been  re- 
cently recruited,  and  had  never  been  in  conflict  with  the 
foe. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  1863,  General  Henry  McCulloch, 
at  the  head  of  six  regiments,  moved  against  Milliken's 
Bend  from  Richmond,  Louisiana.  He  struck  the  Ninth 
Louisiana  Regiment,  and  drove  it  back  on  the  earthworks, 
when  nightfall  arrested  his  further  operations.  He  bivou- 
acked for  the  night,  intending  to  carry  the  Union  position 
by  the  bayonet  in  the  early  morning.  Just  at  dark  a 
steamboat  was  passing  the  Bend,  and  General  Dennis 
seized  the  opportunity  to  send  to  Admiral  Porter  for  as- 
sistance. The  Choctaw  and  Lexington  were  up  the  river 
at  Helena,  Arkansas,  and  the  Admiral  despatched  them  to 
the  Bend  at  once.  The  Choctaw  arrived  upon  the  scene 
at  3  A.  M.  At  this  hour  the  enemy  assaulted  the  Union 
position  with  great  spirit,  yelling  "No  quarter!"  to  Ne- 
groes and  their  officers.  The  gallant  little  force  under 
Dennis  met  the  enemy  with  dauntless  courage.  The  rebel 
force  was  not  only  superior  in  numbers,  but  in  military 
experience,  for  they  soon  swept  over  the  fortifications  and 
delivered  a  blow  on  Dennis's  flank  with  deadly  effect.  A 
desperate  struggle  now  ensued,  wherein  Negro  recruits 
and  veteran  rebels  engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand  conflict. 
Bayonets  were  freely  used,  and  many  of  each  force  were 
transfixed,  and  hand-to-hand  conflicts  with  clubbed  mus- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  225 

kets  and  swords  were  numerous.  The  Union  force  was 
pushed  back  against  the  levee,  where  the  struggle  was  con- 
tinued with  desperation.  At  this  point  of  the  action  the 
Choctaw  opened  her  fire  upon  the  enemy,  who  was  press- 
ing the  Union  troops  towards  the  river  in  an  unequal  con- 
test. The  shelling  was  effective,  and  the  enemy  was  com- 
pelled to  retire  for  shelter.  In  the  mean  time  McCulloch 
was  trying  to  effect  a  movement  against  Dennis's  right 
flank.  The  engagement  had  continued  from  3  A.M.  until 
12  M.,  and  the  Negro  troops  had  covered  themselves  with 
glory.  Never  had  men  fought  with  greater  courage  against 
such  odds  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  After  all,  the  se- 
verest test  of  martial  valor  is  the  Bayonet.  That  these 
Negro  troops  stood  the  test  the  appalling  list  of  casualties 
shows.  The  battle  ended  early  in  the  afternoon,  the  en- 
emy retiring  without  being  pursued  by  Dennis ;  yet  many 
newspaper  accounts  of  this  engagement  insist  that  the  Ne- 
gro troops  were  sent  in  pursuit,  and  lost  heavily  from  the 
shells  of  the  gunboats.  This  fact,  however,  is  not  dis- 
closed in  the  report  of  General  Dennis.  He  estimates  the 
enemy's  loss  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  killed  and  three 
hundred  wounded,  while  he  places  his  own  loss  at  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-seven  killed,  and  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
seven  wounded,  and  three  hundred  missing,  many  of  whom 
were  subsequently  accounted  for.  But  the  corrected  list 
reveals  these  dreadful  facts :  "  Of  the  officers  in  the  Ne- 
gro force,  seven  were  killed,  nine  wounded,  and  three  miss- 
ing ;  total,  nineteen.  Of  the  enlisted  men,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-three  were  killed,  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  wounded,  and  one  hundred  and  thirteen  missing; 
total,  four  hundred  and  eighteen.  Officers  and  men,  grand 
total,  four  hundred  and  thirty-seven."  Of  the  three  offi- 
cers and  one  hundred  and  thirteen  men  missing,  no  word 
was  ever  had,  and  it  is  fair  to  presume  they  were  mur- 
15 


226  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

dered.  Captain  Matthew  M.  Miller  gave  the  following 
interesting  account  of  the  battle : 

"  We  were  attacked  here  on  June  Tth,  about  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  by  a  brigade  of  Texas  troops,  about  two 
thousand  five  hundred  in  number.  "We  had  about  six  hun- 
dred men  to  withstand  them,  five  hundred  of  them  Negroes. 
I  commanded  Company  I,  Ninth  Louisiana.  We  went 
into  the  fight  with  thirty-three  men.  I  had  sixteen  killed, 
eleven  badly  wounded,  and  four  slightly.  I  was  wounded 
slightly  on  the  head  near  the  right  eye  with  a  bayonet, 
and  had  a  bayonet  run  through  my  right  hand  near  the 
forefinger;  that  will  account  for  this  miserable  style  of 
penmanship. 

"  Our  regiment  had  about  three  hundred  men  in  the 
fight.  We  had  one  colonel  wounded,  four  captains  wound- 
ed, two  first  and  two  second  lieutenants  killed,  five  lieu- 
tenants wounded,  and  three  white  orderlies  killed,  and  one 
wounded  in  the  hand,  and  two  fingers  taken  off.  The  list 
of  killed  and  wounded  officers  comprised  nearly  all  the 
officers  present  with  the  regiment,  a  majority  of  the  rest 
being  absent  recruiting. 

"  We  had  about  forty  men  killed  in  the  regiment  and 
eighty  wounded,  so  you  can  judge  of  what  part  of  the 
fight  my  company  sustained.  I  never  felt  more  grieved 
and  sick  at  heart  than  when  I  saw  how  my  brave  soldiers 
had  been  slaughtered — one  with  six  wounds,  all  the  rest 
with  two  or  three,  none  less  than  two  wounds.  Two  of 
my  colored  sergeants  were  killed,  both  brave,  noble  men, 
always  prompt,  vigilant,  and  ready  for  the  fray.  I  never 
more  wish  to  hear  the  expression,  '  The  Niggers  won't 
fight.'  Come  with  me,  a  hundred  yards  from  where  I  sit, 
and  I  can  show  you  the  wounds  that  cover  the  bodies  of 
sixteen  as  brave,  loyal,  and  patriotic  soldiers  as  ever  drew 
bead  on  a  rebel. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        227 

"  The  enemy  charged  us  so  close  that  we  fought  with 
our  bayonets,  hand-to-hand.  I  have  six  broken  bayonets, 
to  show  how  bravely  my  men  fought.  The  Twenty-third 
Iowa  joined  my  company  on  the  right,  and  I  declare  truth- 
fully that  they  had  all  fled  before  our  regiment  fell  back, 
as  we  were  all  compelled  to  do. 

"  Under  command  of  Colonel  Page,  I  led  the  Ninth 
Louisiana  when  the  rifle-pits  were  retaken  and  held  by  our 
troops,  our  two  regiments  doing  the  work. 

"  I  narrowly  escaped  death  once.  A  rebel  took  deliber- 
ate aim  at  me  with  both  barrels  of  his  gun,  and  the  bullets 
passed  so  close  to  me  that  the  powder  that  remained  on 
them  burnt  my  cheek.  Three  of  my  men  who  saw  him 
aim  and  fire  thought  that  he  wounded  me  each  fire.  One 
of  them  was  killed  by  my  side,  and  he  fell  on  me,  covering 
my  clothes  with  his  blood  ;  and  before  the  rebel  could  fire 
again,  I  blew  his  brains  out  with  my  gun. 

"  It  was  a  horrible  fight,  the  worst  I  was  ever  engaged 
in,  not  excepting  Shiloh.  The  enemy  cried, '  No  quarter !' 
but  some  of  them  were  very  glad  to  take  it  when  made 
prisoners.  . 

"  Colonel  Allen,*  of  the  Sixteenth  Texas,  was  killed  in 
front  of  our  regiment,  and  Brigadier-general  Walker  was 
wounded.  We  killed  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  of 
the  enemy.  The  gunboat  Choctaw  did  good  service  shell- 
ing them.  I  stood  on  the  breastworks  after  we  took  them, 
and  gave  the  elevations  and  direction  for  the  gunboat  by 
pointing  my  sword,  and  they  sent  a  shell  right  into  their 
midst  which  sent  them  in  all  directions.  Three  shells  fell 
there,  and  sixty-two  rebels  lay  there  when  the  fight  was  over. 

"  My  wound  is  not  serious,  but  troublesome.  What  few 
men  I  have  left  seem  to  think  much  of  me,  because  I  stood 
up  with  them  in  the  fight.  I  can  say  for  them  that  I  never 
saw  a  braver  company  of  men  in  my  life. 


228  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

"Not  one  of  them  offered  to  leave  his  place  until  ordered 
to  fall  back.  I  went  down  to  the  hospital,  three  miles,  to- 
day to  see  the  wounded.  Nine  of  them  were  there,  two 
having  died  of  their  wounds.  A  boy  I  had  cooking  for 
me  came  and  begged  a  gun  when  the  rebels  were  advan- 
cing, and  took  his  place  with  the  company ;  and  when  we 
retook  the  breastworks  I  found  him  badly  wounded,  with 
one  gunshot  and  two  bayonet  wounds.  A  new  recruit  I 
had  issued  a  gun  to  the  day  before  the  fight  was  found 
dead  with  a  firm  grasp  on  his  gun,  the  bayonet  of  which 
was  broken  in  three  pieces.  So  they  fought  and  died,  de- 
fending the  cause  that  we  revere.  They  met  death  cool- 
ly, bravely ;  not  rashly  did  they  expose  themselves,  but 
all  were  steady  and  obedient  to  orders." 

The  battle  of  Milliken's  Bend  will  always  rank  as  one 
of  the  hardest  fought  actions  of  the  Civil  War,  and  the 
unimpeachable  valor  of  the  Negro  troops  engaged  in  it 
will  remain  a  priceless  heritage  of  the  race  for  whose  free- 
dom they  nobly  contended.  Although  recently  from  the 
house  of  bondage,  they  knew  the  value  of  liberty,  and 
those  who  fell  in  conflict  with  their  old  enemy  did  not 
grudge  the  price  they  paid  in  yielding  up  their  lives. 

The  battle  of  Poison  Springs,  in  the  same  State,  Arkan- 
sas, was  another  of  those  decisive  engagements  wherein 
individual  valor  is  severely  tested  and  conspicuously  dis- 
played. Colonel  J.  M.  Williams  was  in  command  of  a 
train -guard  comprising  the  First  Kansas  Negro  Volun- 
teers, the  Eighteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  a  detachment  of 
the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry.  Six  companies  of  the  First 
Kansas  were  left  at  White  Oak  Creek  as  a  rear-guard,  in 
command  of  Major  Richard  G.  Ward.  There  was  also 
one  company  of  the  Sixth  Kansas,  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant  Henderson,  and  Rabb's  Battery,  under  Lieu- 
tenant Haines.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  18th  of 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        229 

April,  1864,  Colonel  Williams  was  confronted  by  the  ad- 
vance-guard of  General  Price's  army.  Major  Ward  was 
ordered  to  the  front,  where  skirmishing  was  becoming 
very  heavy.  The  battery  was  brought  into  action,  and 
Companies  A,  B,  E,  H  were  disposed  in  supporting  posi- 
tion. The  enemy  soon  moved  against  Colonel  Williams's 
right  flank,  and  proceeded  to  form  a  line  of  battle  accord- 
ingly. Lieutenant  Mitchell,  commanding  a  detachment 
of  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  was  driven  back  by  the 
enemy,  who  now  appeared  in  force.  But  a  line  of  battle 
was  now  formed  in  almost  the  shape  of  a  segment  of  a 
circle,  with  the  convex  side  towards  the  enemy.  About 
11  A.M.  the  enemy  opened  the  battle  with  a  six-gun  bat- 
tery east  of  the  Union  line,  and  a  four-gun  howitzer  bat- 
tery opposite  the  right  of  the  line  to  the  South.  The 
former  battery  was  within  a  thousand  yards  of  the  Union 
line  of  battle,  and  the  latter  battery  within  seven  hundred 
yards.  The  guns  were  well  served,  and  the  fire  was  ter- 
rific upon  the  exposed  Negro  infantry,  many  of  whom 
had  never  seen  a  cannon  or  been  in  conflict.  But  they 
behaved  coolly,  holding  their  ground  and  obeying  every 
order.  At  a  little  past  12  M.  the  artillery  fire  slackened 
and  the  enemy's  infantry  was  ordered  to  take  Rabb's 
Battery  with  the  bayonet.  The  Negro  infantry  support- 
ing it  held  their  fire  until  the  enemy  was  within  one  hun- 
dred yards,  when  it  was  delivered  with  telling  effect.  The 
columns  of  gray  veterans  recoiled  from  before  the  steady 
fire  of  ex-slaves,  but  charged  again  with  perfect  abandon, 
determined,  if  possible,  to  break  the  Union  lines  and  capt- 
ure the  battery.  Companies  G  and  K  of  the  Negro  regi- 
ment were  brought  up  to  support  the  right  and  left  wings. 
The  Negroes  were  doing  splendid  fighting,  the  white  cav- 
alry having  retired,  but  the  enemy  was  exasperated  at 
his  failure  to  break  the  lines  of  the  gallant  black  regi- 


230  A  BISTORT  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ment,  and  now  delivered  another  assault  in  double  col- 
umns, yelling  vociferously.  In  this  charge  nearly  every 
gunner  was  killed  or  wounded  in  the  battery,  but  a  pri- 
vate served  the  last  gun  with  a  double  load  of  canister, 
and  gave  the  charging  column  a  parting  shot  when  only 
about  three  hundred  yards  away.  The  enemy  was  demor- 
alized, but  the  Negro  troops  cheered  at  this  and  fought 
with  increased  enthusiasm.  After  sustaining  most  gal- 
lantly four  charges  of  a  force  ten  times  its  number,  the 
First  Kansas  Negro  Volunteers  slowly  fell  back,  keeping 
up  a  continual  fire.  The  enemy  had  flanked  the  Union 
force,  and  was  now  pouring  a  hot,  roaring  cross-fire  on  the 
flanks.  Four  of  the  Negro  companies  fought  their  way 
back  without  a  commissioned  officer. 

In  removing  the  wounded  great  courage  was  displayed. 
The  men  were  often  constrained  to  abandon  their  wounded 
comrades  or  cast  away  their  arms ;  arid  choosing  the  lat- 
ter, they  buried  them  in  the  swamps  rather  than  let  the 
enemy  get  them.  The  losses  were  severe,  but  no  veteran 
white  regiment  could  have  made  a  stand-up  fight  against 
the  whole  of  Price's  army  for  two  hours  with  more  valor 
and  determination.  There  were  two  officers  killed  and 
five  wounded,  while  the  enlisted  men  sustained  a  loss  of 
one  hundred  and  eight  killed,  seventy-two  wounded,  and 
fifteen  missing,  making  a  total  loss  of  two  hundred  and 
two  in  a  conflict  of  two  hours'  duration.  This  regiment 
saw  much  hard  service,  but  on  every  field  proved  itself 
courageous  and  competent. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  231 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE   ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC   (1864). 

VIKGINIA,  the  mother  of  Presidents,  was  the  mother  of 
slavery,  and  within  the  limits  of  this  ancient  common- 
wealth the  principal  battles  of  the  war  were  fought.  Its 
history,  traditions,  institutions,  topography,  its  water-ways 
and  magnificent  resources,  furnished  inspiration  to  the  em- 
battled armies  that  met  upon  its  soil.  Richmond  was  the 
capital  of  the  Confederate  Government,  and  Petersburg 
was  the  base  of  supplies  and  the  real  gate- way  to  the  heart 
of  the  rebel  Civil  Government.  After  the  Mississippi 
had  been  opened  to  the  Gulf,  the  next  most  important 
military  move  was  the  reduction  of  Petersburg.  General 
George  B.  McClellan  had  menaced  the  Confederate  capi- 
tal with  a  splendid  army  in  1862,  but  most  of  the  veter- 
ans had  returned  home  or  had  gone  into  other  Depart- 
ments. Bounty  men,  substitutes,  and  conscripts  were  nu- 
merous. By  the  spring  of  1864  a  numerous  force  of  Ne- 
gro troops  had  been  added  to  this  army,  and  an  active 
and  brilliant  military  career  opened  up  to  them. 

During  the  winter  of  1863-64  a  large  number  of  Ne- 
gro troops  were  at  persistent  drill  in  Maryland,  under 
Burnside,  and  in  Virginia,  under  Butler.  The  first  ap- 
pearance of  these  troops  in  the  field  was  in  February, 
1864,  when  a  brigade  was  despatched  to  New  Kent  Court- 
house to  reinforce  Kilpatrick,  who,  having  made  a  brill- 
iant and  daring  dash  at  Richmond  in  recoiling  before  a 
numerous  foe,  had  burned  bridges,  destroyed  railroads,  and 


232  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

made  many  prisoners.  The  timely  approach  of  this  Ne- 
gro brigade  checked  the  impetuous  and  impulsive  pursuit 
of  the  enemy,  and  gave  Kilpatrick's  jaded  animals  and 
weary  men  the  relief  they  so  much  needed. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1864,  General  A.  E.  Burnside,  at 
the  head  of  the  Ninth  Army  Corps,  crossed  the  Potomac 
and  joined  General  George  G.  Meade's  army,  although  act- 
ual incorporation  did  not  occur  until  the  Rapidan  had 
been  passed.  This  corps  contained  the  majority  of  Negro 
troops  who  had  thus  far  made  their  appearance  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  while  later  on  the  Army  of  the 
James  contained,  first,  a  full  division,  and  subsequently  an 
entire  army  corps  of  such  troops.  The  reputation  that 
Negro  troops  had  won  at  Port  Hudson  and  Fort  Wagner 
served  them  well  in  coming  in  contact  with  the  white 
troops  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Most  of  this  army 
was  from  the  Middle  and  New  England  States,  where 
Negroes  were  scarce,  and  prejudice  among  the  working 
classes  pronouncedly  against  the  Negro,  who  was  by  them 
generally  regarded  as  the  cause  of  the  war.  But  what- 
ever doubt  there  was  concerning  the  military  character  of 
the  Negro,  it  was  chiefly  silent.  There  was,  therefore,  no 
moral  or  sentimental  proscription  to  overcome ;  the  army 
was  eager  to  see  the  Negro  soldier  on  trial  against  the 
flower  of  Lee's  veteran  army. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1864  Lieutenant-general  Grant 
decided  to  move  Meade's  army  across  the  James  River, 
and  advance  upon  Richmond  from  the  south.  At  the 
same  time  he  instructed  Butler  to  impel  his  Army  of 
the  James  against  Petersburg.  General  W.  F.  Smith,  with 
the  majority  of  Butler's  army,  had  joined  Meade,  and  the 
thinned  condition  of  Butler's  lines  admonished  him  to 
keep  quiet  within  his  intrenchments.  But  a  restless  and 
ambitious  foe  grudged  him  this  quiet,  and  his  northern 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  233 

outposts  at  Wilson's  Wharf  were  chosen  as  the  point  of 
attack.  This  position  was  held  by  Brigadier-general  E.  A. 
Wild  with  a  small  force  of  Negro  troops,  consisting  of  Bat- 
tery B,  Second  Light  Artillery,  and  the  First  and  Tenth 
Infantry  regiments.  Fitz-Hugh  Lee,  at  the  head  of  his 
famous  cavalry  force,  summoned  Wild  to  surrender  on  the 
24th  of  May.  Wild  replied  that  he  was  there  to  fight,  not 
to  surrender.  Lee  dismounted  his  men  and  assaulted  Fort 
Powhatan  about  12.30  P.M.  The  Negro  pickets  and  skir- 
mishers retired  to  the  intrenchments.  The  enemy  raised 
a  yell  and  rushed  down  upon  the  garrison,  but  the  Negro 
troops  held  their  fire  with  the  coolness  of  veterans.  When 
the  enemy  was  well  tangled  in  the  abatis,  General  Wild 
delivered  his  fire  upon  the  foe.  Confusion  and  conster- 
nation followed,  and  the  enemy  recoiled  and  sought  the 
cover.  Lee  was  angered  at  Wild's  reply,  but  when  he  saw 
his  troops  shrinking  from  the  deadly  fire  of  ex-slaves,  he 
set  his  heart  on  taking  the  fort.  The  enemy  was  deter- 
mined and  desperate  in  the  next  charge,  but  again  found 
the  Negroes  cool  and  deliberate  in  their  gallant  defence. 
Lee  rightly  anticipated  the  humiliation  he  would  suffer  if 
beaten  off  by  Negro  troops,  and  was  busy  among  the  sing- 
ing bullets  urging  his  men  to  desperate  fighting.  It  was 
now  determined  to  impel  a  massed  column  against  the 
stubborn  fortress,  and  the  savagery  of  the  onslaught  told 
that  these  Virginia  gentlemen  were  deeply  chagrined. 
But  the  inferior  race  met  the  superior  with  a  steady  fire, 
and  the  Southern  chivalry  were  driven  from  the  field, 
after  more  than  five  hours'  fighting,  by  their  former 
slaves.  Thus  ended  the  battle  of  Fort  Powhatan,  and 
thus  the  attempt  of  a  division  of  the  enemy's,  cavalry  to 
turn  Butler's  flank  was  a  failure.  The  Negro  had  fought 
his  first  battle  in  this  Department,  and  exhibited  a  valor 
which  no  one  disputed. 


234:  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

General  Wild  sustained  a  loss  of  two  killed,  twenty-one 
wounded,  and  three  missing:  a  total  of  twenty-six.  The 
enemy  suffered  a  severe  loss :  twenty  to  thirty  dead  were 
left  on  the  field  and  nineteen  prisoners  taken,  and  thus 
his  casualties  footed  up  about  two  hundred  in  the  judg- 
ment of  careful  officers  who  went  over  the  field  next  day. 
The  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Times  wrote  of  this 
battle  as  an  eye-witness : 

"In  Camp,  Bermuda  Hundred,  Virginia,  May  26, 1864. 

"  The  chivalry  of  Fitzhugh  Lee  and  his  cavalry  division  was  badly 
worsted  in  the  contest  last  Tuesday  with  Negro  troops  composing  the 
garrison  at  Wilson's  Landing.  Chivalry  made  a  gallant  fight,  how- 
ever. The  battle  began  at  12.30  P.M.  and  ended  at  six  o'clock,  when 
chivalry  retired  disgusted  and  defeated.  Lee's  men  dismounted  far 
in  the  rear  and  fought  as  infantry.  They  drove  in  the  pickets  and 
skirmishers  to  the  intrenchments,  and  several  times  made  valiant 
charges  upon  our  works.  To  make  an  assault,  it  was  necessary  to 
come  across  an  '  open '  in  front  of  our  position,  up  to  the  very  edge  of 
a  deep  and  impassable  ravine.  The  rebels  with  deafening  yells  made 
furious  onsets,  but  the  Negroes  did  not  flinch,  and  the  mad  assailants, 
discomfited,  turned  to  cover  with  shrunken  ranks.  The  rebel  fighting 
was  very  wicked;  it  showed  that  Lee's  heart  was  bent  on  taking  the 
Negroes  at  any  cost.  Assaults  on  the  centre  having  failed,  the  rebels 
tried  first  the  left  and  then  the  right  flank,  with  no  greater  success.  .  .  . 

"There  is  no  hesitation  here  in  acknowledging  the -soldierly  quali- 
ties which  the  colored  men  engaged  in  this  fight  have  exhibited.  Even 
the  officers  who  have  hitherto  felt  no  confidence  in  them  are  compelled 
to  express  themselves  mistaken.  General  Wild,  commanding  the  post, 
says  that  the  troops  stood  up  to  their  work  like  veterans." 

General  Grant  was  now  ready  to  turn  his  attention  to 
the  reduction  of  Petersburg,  and  General  Gillmore,  with 
three  thousand  five  hundred  men,  crossed  the  Appomattox 
and  moved  on  the  city  from  the  north  over  an  admirable 
turnpike.  General  Kautz,  with  one  thousand  five  hundred 
cavalry,  went  forward  to  charge  the  city  from  the  south- 
west. In  addition  to  these  dispositions  a  battery  and  two 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  235 

gun-boats  were  to  bombard  Fort  Clinton,  defending  the 
enemy's  water  approach.  These  movements  were  to  have 
been  executed  in  simultaneous  harmony,  but  for  no  good 
reason  known  to  military  critics  they  utterly  failed.  On 
the  10th  of  June  Q.  A.  Gillmore  had  reached  within  two 
miles  of  the  city,  had  attracted  the  attention  and  drawn 
the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  was  competent  to  drive  the  ene- 
my's skirmishers.  Instead  of  following  up  this  advantage, 
Gillmore  judged  himself  unequal  to  a  vigorous  assault  and 
retired  upon  his  own  judgment.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  city,  Kautz,  with  the  fiery  impetuosity  of  a  born  cav- 
alry officer,  dashed  in.  The  menace  of  Gillmore  had  most 
effectually  stirred  the  enemy,  and  he  was  massing  to  re- 
ceive the  threatened  assault.  But  now  that  Gillmore  had 
retired,  the  foe  turned  on  Kautz's  command,  and  expelled 
it  with  little  effort.  The  failure  of  this  movement  to  be 
concerted  had  apprised  the  enemy  of  the  blow  that  Grant 
was  about  to  deliver,  and  hence  there  was  the  necessary 
massing  of  the  Confederate  army  to  ward  it  off.  Grant 
did  not  turn  aside  from  his  purpose,  but  hurried  forward 
W.  F.  Smith's  corps  from  the  Chickahominy  by  steamers 
via  the  White  House.  Smith  crossed  the  Appomattox  at 
Point  of  Rocks  and  moved  southward,  encountering  the 
enemy  in  large  numbers  on  the  15th  of  June.  It  was  a 
proud  moment  for  the  division  of  Negro  troops  in  his  com- 
mand, who  were  now  to  have  the  post  of  honor  and  danger, 
and  assault  the  enemy  in  his  intrenched  position.  A  bri- 
gade of  Hinck's  Negro  division  was  ordered  to  clear  a  line 
of  rifle-pits  immediately  in  front  of  Smith's  corps.  It  was 
about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  the  black  brigade 
went  forward  with  a  brilliant  dash  that  made  all  Union 
hearts  thrill  with  pride,  while  the  heart  of  the  enemy 
quailed  before  the  advancing  columns  of  Negro  soldiers. 
They  carried  the  rifle-pits  with  the  bayonet.  General 


236  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Smith,  who  watched  black  soldiers  fight  for  the  first  time, 
declared  that  they  were  equal  to  any  troops,  and  ordered 
them  to  carry  a  redoubt  just  ahead.  On  the  men  rushed, 
with  "  Remember  Fort  Pillow !"  as  their  battle-cry,  and 
swept  the  enemy  out  of  the  first  redoubt.  The  captured 
guns  were  turned  upon  the  enemy,  who  was  either  taken 
or  driven  off. 

A  very  poetic  and  inspiring  incident  of  the  first  charge 
was  the  advancing  beyond  a  centre  regiment  of  the  na- 
tional colors.  The  color-sergeant  planted  his  flag  on  the 
enemy's  works,  and  held  it  there  until  the  regiment  came 
up.  One  gun  was  captured  and  many  prisoners  taken. 
The  brigade  moved  on  about  two  miles  and  a  half,  when 
the  defences  of  Petersburg  were  confronted.  From  two 
o'clock  until  evening  these  Negro  troops  reconnoitred  and 
skirmished,  at  all  times  exposed  to  the  shells  and  musketry 
of  the  enemy.  At  about  sunset  the  black  brigade  was  im- 
pelled against  the  intrenched  enemy,  and  it  dashed  at  the 
works  so  quickly  that  the  enemy  could  not  depress  his 
guns  sufficiently  to  cover  the  space  before  the  charging 
column.  In  a  few  moments  the  Negro  soldiers  were  with- 
in the  enemy's  works,  cheering  lustily.  An  officer  in  one 
of  these  regiments  gives  the  following  graphic  account  of 
the  fighting : 

"  We  charged  across  what  appeared  to  be  an  almost  im- 
passable ravine,  with  the  right  wing  all  the  time  subject 
to  a  hot  fire  of  grape  and  canister,  until  we  got  so  far  un- 
der the  guns  as  to  be  sheltered,  when  the  enemy  took  to 
their  rifle-pits  as  infantrymen.  Our  brave  fellows  went 
steadily  through  the  swamp  and  up  the  side  of  a  hill  at 
an  angle  of  almost  fifty  degrees,  rendered  nearly  impassa- 
ble by  fallen  timber.  Here  again  our  color-sergeant  was 
conspicuous  in  keeping  far  ahead  of  the  most  advanced; 
hanging  on  to  the  side  of  the  hill  till  he  would  turn  about 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION".  237 

and  wave  the  Stars  and  Stripes  at  his  advancing  comrades, 
then  steadily  advancing  again,  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy, 
till  he  could  almost  have  reached  their  rifle-pits  with  his 
flag-staff.  How  he  kept  from  being  killed  I  do  not  know, 
unless  it  can  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  the  party  ad- 
vancing up  the  side  of  the  hill  always  has  the  advantage 
of  those  who  hold  the  crest.  It  was  in  this  way  that  we 
got  such  decided  advantage  over  the  enemy  at  South 
Mountain.  We  took  in  these  two  redoubts  four  more 
guns,  making  in  all  five  for  our  regiment,  two  redoubts, 
and  a  part  of  a  rifle-pit  as  our  day's  work.  The  Fifth, 
Sixth,  and  Seventh  United  States  Colored  Troops  advanced 
against  works  more  to  the  left.  The  Fourth  United  States 
Colored  Troops  took  one  more  redoubt,  and  the  enemy 
abandoned  the  other.  In  these  two  we  got  two  more  guns, 
which  made  in  all  seven.  The  Sixth  Regiment  did  not 
get  up.  in  time,  unfortunately,  to  have  much  of  the  sport, 
as  it  had  been  previously  formed  in  the  second  line.  We 
left  forty-three  men  wounded  and  eleven  killed  in  the  ra- 
vine over  which  our  men  charged  the  last  time.  Our  loss 
in  the  whole  day's  operations  was  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three,  including  six  ofiicers,  one  of  whom  was  killed.  Sir, 
there  is  no  underrating  the  good  conduct  of  these  fellows 
during  these  charges ;  with  but  a  few  exceptions  they  all 
went  in  as  old  soldiers,  but  with  more  enthusiasm.  I  am 
delighted  that  our  first  action  resulted  in  a  decided  victory. 
"  The  commendations  we  have  received  from  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  including  its  general  ofiicers,  are  truly 
gratifying.  Hancock's  corps  arrived  just  in  time  to  relieve 
us  (we  being  out  of  ammunition),  before  the  rebels  were 
reinforced  and  attempted  to  retake  these  strong  works  and 
commanding  positions,  without  which  they  could  not  hold 
Petersburg  one  hour,  if  it  were  a  part  of  Grant's  plan  to 
advance  against  it  on  the  right  here. 


238  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

"  General  Smith  speaks  in  the  highest  terms  of  the  day's 
work,  as  you  have  doubtless  seen,  and  he  assured  me  in 
person  that  our  division  should  have  the  guns  we  took  as 
trophies  of  honor.  He  is  also  making  his  word  good  in 
saying  that  he  could  hereafter  trust  colored  troops  in  the 
most  responsible  positions.  Colonel  Ames,  of  the  Sixth 
United  States  Colored  Troops,  and  our  regiment  have  just 
been  relieved  in  the  front,  where  we  served  our  tour  of 
forty-eight  hours  in  turn  with  the  other  troops  of  the  corps. 
While  out  we  are  subjected  to  some  of  the  severest  shell- 
ing I  have  ever  seen,  Malvern  Hill  not  excepted.  The 
enemy  got  twenty  guns  in  position  during  the  night,  and 
opened  on  us  yesterday  morning  at  daylight.  Our  men 
stood  it,  behind  their  works,  of  course,  as  well  as  any  of  the 
white  troops.  Our  men,  unfortunately,  owing  to  the  ir- 
regular features  of  ground,  took  no  prisoners.  Sir,  we  can 
bayonet  the  enemy  to  terms  on  this  matter  of  treating  col- 
ored soldiers  as  prisoners  of  war  far  sooner  than  the  au- 
thorities at  Washington  can  bring  him  to  it  by  negotiation. 
This  I  am  morally  persuaded  of.  I  know,  further,  that 
the  enemy  won't  fight  us  if  he  can  help  it.  I  am  sure  that 
the  same  number  of  white  troops  could  not  have  taken 
those  works  on  the  evening  of  the  15th ;  prisoners  that 
we  took  told  me  so.  I  mean  prisoners  who  came  in  after 
the  abandonment  of  the  fort  because  they  could  not  get 
away.  They  excused  themselves  on  the  ground  of  pride ;  as 
one  of  them  said  to  me, '  D — d  if  men  educated  as  we  have 
been  will  fight  with  niggers,  and  your  government  ought 
not  to  expect  it.'  The  real  fact  is,  the  rebels  will  not 
stand  against  our  colored  soldiers  when  there  is  any  chance 
of  their  being  taken  prisoners,  for  they  are  conscious  of 
what  they  justly  deserve.  Our  men  went  into  these  works 
after  they  were  taken,  yelling, '  Fort  Pillow !'  The  enemy 
well  knows  what  this  means,  and  I  will  venture  the  asser- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        239 

tion  that  that  piece  of  infernal  brutality  enforced  by  them 
there  has  cost  the  enemy  already  two  men  for  every  one 
they  so  inhumanly  murdered." ' 

The  result  of  this  engagement  was  the  capture  of  six- 
teen guns  and  three  hundred  prisoners,  at  the  cost  of  six 
hundred  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  The  action  was  also 
valuable  as  settling  the  question  of  the  valor  of  Negro  sol- 
diers. It  was  unfortunate  that  a  campaign  opened  so  brill- 
iantly should  have  failed  so  signally ;  not,  however,  on  ac- 
count of  these  troops.  Instead  of  following  up  the  suc- 
cess won  by  his  Negro  troops,  General  Smith  bivouacked 
for  the  night.  Hancock,  who  ought  to  have  been  within 
supporting  distance,  did  not  arrive  until  late,  and  then  dis- 
claimed any  knowledge  that  an  assault  was  meditated  upon 
Petersburg,  although  he  must  have,  heard  Smith's  guns 
all  day.  The  enemy,  startled  at  the  vehement  assaults 
of  black  troops,  put  twenty  guns  in  position  during  the 
night,  and  Lee's  Confederate  veterans,  marching  at  the 
sound  of  the  enemy's  guns,  had  reached  the  beleaguered 
city  before  sunrise  next  morning.  With  daylight  came 
"Warren  and  Burnside  to  meet  the  enemy.  Smith's  right 
rested  on  the  Appomattox,  while  Hancock,  Burnside,  and 
Warren  were  disposed  to  the  left,  which  was  covered  by 
Kautz's  cavalry.  Having  returned  from  City  Point,  where 
he  had  been  in  consultation  with  General  Grant,  Meade 
ordered  a  general  assault  at  2  P.M.  on  the  16th  of  June, 
but  it  was  not  delivered  until  6  P.M.  In  this  assault  white 
troops  were  employed  mainly,  but  the  Negro  troops  were 
despatched  to  Terry,  who  was  instructed  to  seize  Port 
Walthall  Junction,  on  the  Bermuda  Hundred  front.  It 
was  now  proved  that  Petersburg  could  not  be  reduced  by 
a  direct  assault,  and  the  Union  troops  intrenched  them- 
selves and  sought  to  subdue  it  by  a  siege. 

1  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  xi.,  pp.  580,  581. 


24:0  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

"  Walthall's  Farm,  near  Petersburg, 
"6A.M.  June  17, 1864. 

"The  Eighteenth  Corps,  under  command  of  General  W.  F.  Smith, 
which  had  but  just  returned  to  Bermuda  Hundred,  although  greatly 
needing  rest,  moved  out  at  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  15th 
on  the  Petersburg  side  of  the  river.  They  were  joined  by  General 
Hinck's  division,  United  States  Colored  Troops,  which  had  crossed  the 
pontoon  bridge  over  the  Appomattox  at  ten  o'clock  the  night  before. 
This  division  consisted  of  Samuel  A.  Duncan's  brigade,  the  Fourth, 
Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Twenty-second  regiments,  with  Captain  Angell's  bat- 
tery attached,  of  Colonel  John  H.  Holman's  brigade,  the  First  Regi- 
ment, and  a  detachment  of  the  Fifth  Massachusetts  Colored  cavalry 
under  Colonel  Henry  S.  Russell,  with  Captain  F.  C.  Choate's  Colored 
battery  attached ;  General  Kautz's  division  of  cavalry  were  also  with 
the  column. 

"As  the  column  approached  the  City  Point  and  Petersburg  turn- 
pike at  a  right  angle  it  was  suddenly  enfiladed  by  a  battery  on  Baylor's 
farm.  Kautz's  cavalry  was  sent  forward  to  reconnoitre,  and  found  the 
rebels  posted  on  rapidly  rising  ground,  some  four  hundred  yards  behind 
an  almost  impenetrable  thicket  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  extending  to 
a  forest  on  the  left.  The  rebels  had  four  pieces  of  artillery,  two  regi- 
ments of  infantry,  behind  breastworks,  and  a  small  force  of  cavalry. 

"Duncan's  black  brigade  was  formed  in  line  on  both  sides  of  the 
pike  as  follows :  the  Fifth  Regiment,  Colonel  Jas.  W.  Conine,  on  the 
right ;  the  Twenty-second,  Colonel  Joseph  B.  Kiddoo,  at  the  right  cen- 
tre ;  and  the  Sixth,  Colonel  John  W.  Ames,  on  the  left.  Colonel  Hol- 
man's small  brigade  formed  the  second  line. 

"In  this  order  the  troops  struggled  through  the  swampy  and  tan- 
gled and  almost  impassable  woods,  the  rebels  shelling  them  furiously 
all  the  distance. 

"As  our  line  emerged  irregularly  from  the  woods  the  rebels  threw 
canister  with  terrible  effect.  The  Fourth  received  their  whole  con- 
centrated fire.  Captain  Wm.  V.  King  was  instantly  killed  and  Lieu- 
tenant Alfred  M.  Brigham  mortally  wounded.  The  whole  regiment 
suffered  severely.  Both  wings  were  forced  to  return  and  remain  in 
cover  for  a  short  time  until  the  lines  could  be  reformed ;  but  at  the 
word  the  right  wing  charged  with  exultant  shouts  up  the  slope  and 
through  the  murderous  fire.  The  rebels  fled  in  confusion  to  the  woods 
in  their  rear,  leaving  one  gun  behind,  which  was  instantly  turned  upon 
them  by  some  of  the  Negroes  of  Colonel  Kiddoo's  regiment,  under  the 
direction  of  Private  John  Norton,  of  Company  B,  of  the  First  District 
of  Columbia  Cavalry. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  241 

"  The  rebels  at  Baylor's  farm  opened  fire  at  about  six  o'clock.  By 
eight  they  were  driven  out.  This  affair,  although  attended  with  heavy 
losses,  gave  the  black  troops  confidence  in  themselves,  and  prepared 
them  for  a  more  terrible  trial  in  the  attack  upon  the  strong  lines  of 
rifle-pits,  redoubts,  and  redans  which  ran  irregularly  from  the  Appo- 
mattox  up  and  along  the  crests  of  hills,  on  several  farms,  two  miles 
from  Petersburg.  .  .  . 

"The  Colored  Troops  were  obliged  to  advance  across  an  open  field, 
exposed  the  whole  distance  to  a  deadly  fire,  completely  enfilading  their 
two  lines  of  battle,  to  a  fire  from  two  batteries  directly  in  front,  and  to 
a  cross-fire  from  an  intermediate  battery.  An  hour  was  consumed 
in  forming  the  lines  of  battle  and  advancing  the  first  quarter  of  a 
mile.  The  men  could  move  but  a  few  rods  before  the  rebels  got 
range,  when  they  were  obliged  to  lie  down  and  await  opportunity. 
Soon  they  would  rise,  push  forward  a  few  rods  farther,  and  again  lie 
down. 

"At  about  half -past  one  they  gained  the  designated  locality,  and 
then  for  five  mortal  hours  lay  exposed  to  the  strain  of  constant  appre- 
hension from  the  ceaseless  shelling.  Old  officers  declared  that  while 
they  have  been  under  a  more  furious  cannonading,  it  has  been  under 
the  excitement  of  a  charge,  but  that  they  were  never  subjected  to  a 
severer  trial  under  fire,  considering  the  time  during  which  they  were 
exposed  and  the  unavoidable  inactivity,  and  add  that  there  can  be  no 
severer  test  of  a  soldier,  particularly  for  green  troops,  than  Duncan's 
entire  brigade  withstood.  They  say  that  after  such  a  long  strain  upon 
their  nerves,  that  the  troops  should  be  able  to  rise,  move  against  such 
a  formidable  line  of  works,  and  carry  them  triumphantly,  is  irresistible 
proof  that  black  troops  can  and  will  fight. 

"At  half-past  six  the  charge  was  ordered.  The  first  plan,  to  ad- 
vance in  two  lines  of  battle,  was  changed,  General  Smith  deeming  it 
madness  to  throw  full  lines  against  such  strong  redoubts.  Half  the 
first  line  was,  therefore,  sent  forward  as  skirmishers,  to  be  promptly 
supported  if  any  advantage  should  be  gained.  As  the  skirmishers 
pushed  on,  our  batteries  on  the  right  opened,  and  were  replied  to  by 
the  rebels  with  equal  vigor. 

"After  half  an  hour  of  very  heavy  cannonading  and  musketry  fir- 
ing, a  shout  of  victory,  drowning  all  other  sounds,  and  plainly  to  be 
heard  for  two  miles  away,  arose  from  our  troops  as  they  gained  and 
dashed  into  the  works.  These  works  were  five  formidable  redans, 
half  a  mile,  three-quarters,  and  a  mile,  severally,  distant,  on  the  other 
side  of  a  deep  and  difficult  ravine,  and  in  a  very  commanding  position. 
Colonel  Kiddoo's  regiment  gained  the  hill.  In  support  of  this  general 
16 


242  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

flank  movement  of  the  first  line,  the  second  line,  consisting  of  the  Fifth 
and  Sixth  regiments  of  Duncan's  brigade,  were  swung  round  and 
moved  against  the  front  of  the  remaining  works.  The  rebels,  assailed 
in  flank  and  front,  fought  to  the  last  moment,  and  then  so  precipitately 
withdrew  that  but  few  were  captured. 

"It  was  now  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Immediate  pursuit  was 
impossible,  and  General  Smith  deemed  it  prudent  to  rest  and  await 
reinforcements.  The  Second  Army  Corps,  which  had  made  a  forced 
march,  began  arriving  two  hours  later.  General  Smith  showed  his 
appreciation  of  the  day's  work  by  remarking  that '  it  was  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  war.'  He  said,  '  It  will  make  the  old  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac open  its  eyes  wide. '  The  earthworks  so  successfully  carried  are 
regarded  as  the  most  formidable  the  army  has  encountered  during  the 
present  campaign. 

"The  success  has  a  peculiar  value  and  significance  from  the  thor- 
ough test  it  has  given  of  the  efficiency  of  Negro  troops.  Their  losses 
were  heavy.  In  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and  under  the  most  trying 
circumstances,  they  never  flinched.  The  old  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
so  long  prejudiced  and  so  obstinately  heretical  on  this  subject,  stand 
amazed  as  they  look  on  the  works  captured  by  the  Negroes,  and  are 
loud  and  unreserved  in  their  praise.  As  near  as  I  can  make  it  out, 
Duncan's  brigade  alone  took  six  redoubts  or  redans,  with  their  con- 
necting rifle-pits,  and  captured  seven  pieces  of  artillery.  General 
Smith,  speaking  of  their  conduct,  said,  '  No  nobler  effort  has  been  put 
forth  to-day,  and  no  greater  success  achieved,  than  that  of  the  Colored 
Troops.'  From  so  reticent  an  officer  this  testimony  is  in  valuable. 
Subjoined  is  his  order  of  the  day,  just  issued  : 

"  '  To  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps : 

"'.  .  .  To  the  Colored  Troops  comprising  the  division  of  General 
Hinks,  the  General  commanding  would  call  the  attention  of  his  com- 
mand. With  the  veterans  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps  they  have  stormed 
the  works  of  the  enemy  and  carried  them,  taking  guns  and  prisoners, 
and  in  the  whole  affair  they  have  displayed  all  the  qualities  of  good 
soldiers. 

"  'By  command  of  W.  F.  SMITH,  Major-general.' 

"  WILLIAM  RUSSELL,  Jr.,  Assistant  Adjutant-general."1 


From  June  15th  to  June  30th  the  losses  of  the  Xegro 
troops  in  front  of  Petersburg  were  as  follows : 


"Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  xi.,  Doc.,  pp.  570, 571, 572. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  24:3 

i 
NEGRO  DIVISION,  FIELD  AND  STAFF. 

Killed— Officers 4 

Enlisted  Men 58 

Wounded— Officers 27 

"  Enlisted  Men 417 

Missing — Officers — 

Enlisted  Men 69 

Aggregate 575 

From  this  time  (June  16th)  until  the  explosion  of  the 
mine  (July  30th)  the  Negro  troops  participated  in  the  vari- 
ous duties  of  building  fortifications,  skirmishing,  picket- 
duty,  and  sharp-shooting.  In  all  these  they  did  their  duty 
cheerfully,  and  won  the  entire  confidence  of  the  army. 
There  were  other  Negro  troops  arriving  daily,  and  they 
were  distributed  through  the  Ninth,  Tenth,  and  Eighteenth 
corps — in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  in  the  Army  of 
the  James.  The  Ninth  Corps,  containing  a  division  of 
Negro  troops,  had  secured  in  the  last  assault  a  position 
immediately  in  front  of  Petersburg,  distant  only  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  enemy.  A  fort  project- 
ing some  distance  beyond  the  enemy's  main  line  did  the 
Union  lines  and  forces  great  damage.  Moreover,  its  posi- 
tion was  so  commanding  that  if  it  were  once  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  besiegers  the  capture  of  the  city  could 
speedily  be  effected.  To  compass  this  end  it  was  decided 
to  mine  this  fort.  A  ravine  extending  through  the  lines 
screened  the  operations  of  the  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania 
infantry  from  the  enemy,  and  furnished  a  convenient  place 
in  which  to  deposit  the  earth,  borne  out  patiently  in  crack- 
er-boxes. The  mine  completed,  the  two  galleries  charged, 
the  morning  of  the  30th  of  July,  1864,  was  determined 
upon  as  the  time  to  fire  it.  Some  consideration  had  been 
given  to  the  question  which  division  should  charge  through 
the  crater,  gain  the  elevated  ground,  and  hold  this  gate 
open,  while  Meade's  army  should  rush  through. 


2M  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

The  inspecting  officer  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Charles  G.  Loring,  in  obedience  to  orders  had  in- 
spected the  four  divisions  comprising  the  corps,  and  had 
reported  that  the  "  Black  Division  "  was  the  fittest  for  the 
perilous  work  in  hand.  They  had  an  alertness  and  dash 
which  made  them  equal  to  the  task. 

Colonel  Loring  gives  the  following  reasons  for  the  selec- 
tion of  the  Black  Division  : 

"  Some  time  previous  to  the  intended  assault  I  officially 
informed  General  Burnside  that,  in  my  opinion,  the  white 
troops  of  his  corps  were  not  in  a  fit  condition  to  make  the 
assault ;  that  many  of  them  had  been  for  six  weeks  in  close 
proximity  to  the  enemy's  lines — within  one  hundred  and 
thirty  yards ;  that  all  of  them  had  been  very  near  the 
enemy's  fire ;  and  that  when  troops  are  exposed,  as  they 
were,  day  and  night  for  six  weeks  to  an  incessant  fire,  it 
is  impossible  that  they  should  have  the  same  spirit  as  fresh 
troops.  In  addition  to  that,  before  sitting  down  before  the 
enemy's  lines,  they  had  been  very  much  worn  by  tfce  long 
and  arduous  campaign,  in  which,  as  I  considered,  the  Ninth 
Corps  had  performed  more  arduous  services  than  the  other 
corps.  But  even  if  they  had  been  fresh  when  they  had 
arrived  before  Petersburg,  the  experience  of  those  six 
weeks — during  which  they  had  been  under  fire  day  and 
night  without  cessation,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  go  to 
the  rear,  even  to  attend  to  the  calls  of  nature,  without  be- 
ing, exposed  to  being  killed  on  the  spot ;  during  which  pe- 
riod their  losses  had  averaged  over  thirty  (30)  per  day, 
amounting  in  the  whole  to  one  man  in  eight — was  enough 
at  least  to  weaken  the  zeal  of  the  men.  For  this  reason, 
principally,  General  Burnside  selected  to  lead  the  assault 
the  colored  division,  which  up  to  that  time  had  never  been 
under  any  serious  fire.  Parts  of  it  had  been  engaged  in 
one  or  two  little  skirmishes,  but  the  division  had  never 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        245 

been  under  any  serious  fire.  That  division  was  therefore 
selected  upon  the  principle  that  fresh  troops  are  much  bet- 
ter to  make  an  assault  than  old  but  worn-out  troops.  This 
plan  was  changed  at  noon  of  the  day  previous  to  the  as- 
sault, and  the  first  division  of  white  troops,  under  Gen- 
eral Ledlie,  was  selected  to  lead  the  attack  the  next  morn- 
ing." 

Under  date  of  July  26, 1864,  General  Bnrnside  submit- 
ted his  plan  of  battle  to  General  Meade,  and  in  referring 
to  the  use  of  the  Black  Division  said : 

"  My  plan  would  be  to  explode  the  mine  just  before  day- 
light in  the  morning,  or  at  about  five  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon ;  mass  the  two  brigades  of  the  colored  division  in 
the  rear  of  my  first  line  in  columns  of  division  '  double 
columns  closed  in  mass,' '  the  head  of  each  brigade  resting 
on  the  front  line,'  and  as  soon  as  the  explosion  has  taken 
place,  move  them  forward  with  instructions  for  the  divis- 
ion to  take  half  distance,  and  as  soon  as  the  leading  regi- 
ments of  the  two  brigades  pass  through  the  gap  in  the 
enemy's  line,  the  leading  regiment  of  the  right  brigade  to 
come  into  line  perpendicular  to  the  enemy's  line  by  the 
'right  companies  on  the  right  into  line,  wheel,' the  'left 
companies  on  the  right  into  line,'  and  proceed  at  once  down 
the  line  of  the  enemy's  works  as  rapidly  as  possible ;  and 
the  leading  regiment  of  the  left  brigade  to  execute  the  re- 
verse movement  to  the  left,  moving  up  the  enemy's  line. 
The  remainder  of  the  columns  to  move  directly  towards 
the  crest  in  front  as  rapidly  as  possible,  diverging  in  such 
a  way  as  to  enable  them  to  deploy  into  columns  of  regi- 
ment, the  right  column  making  as  nearly  as  possible  for 
Cemetery  Hill.  These  columns  to  be  followed  by  the  other 
divisions  of  the  other  corps  as  soon  as  they  can  be  thrown  in." 

On  the  28th  General  Burnside  called  upon  Meade  at  his 
headquarters.  General  Burnside  says  of  this  visit : 


24-6  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

"A  long  conversation  ensued,  in  which  I  pointed  out  to 
General  Meade  the  condition  of  the  three  white  divisions, 
and  urged  upon  him  the  importance,  in  my  opinion,  of  plac- 
ing the  colored  division  in  the  advance,  because  I  thought 
it  would  make  a  better  charge  at  that  time  than  either 
of  the  white  divisions.  I  reminded  him  of  the  fact  that 
the  three  white  divisions  had  for  forty  days  been  in  the 
trenches  in  the  immediate  presence  of  the  enemy,  and  at 
no  point  of  the  line  could  a  man  raise  his  head  above  the 
parapet  without  being  fired  at  by  the  enemy.  That  they 
had  been  in  the  habit,  during  the  whole  of  that  time,  of 
approaching  the  main  line  by  covered  ways,  and  using 
every  possible  means  of  protecting  themselves  from  the 
fire  of  the  enemy.  That  their  losses  had  been  continuous 
during  that  time,  amounting  to  from  thirty  to  sixty  men 
daily.  That  the  men  had  had  no  opportunity  of  cooking 
upon  the  main  line,  everything  having  been  cooked  in  the 
rear,  and  carried  up  to  them.  That  they  had  had  very  few, 
if  any,  opportunities  of  washing  ;  and  that,  in  my  opinion, 
they  were  not  in  condition  to  make  a  vigorous  charge. 
I  also  stated  that  I  was  fortified  in  this  opinion,  which 
had  been  formed  from  personal  observation,  by  the  report 
of  my  inspector-general,  who  had  taken  occasion  to  look  at 
the  troops  with  a  view  to  making  up  his  mind  as  to  their 
effectiveness  for  a  work  of  that  kind. 

"General  Meade  still  insisted  that  the  black  troops 
should  not  lead ;  that  he  could  not  trust  them,  because 
they  were  untried,  and  probably  gave  other  reasons  which 
do  not  occur  to  me  at  this  moment.  But  he  said  that,  in- 
asmuch as  I  was  so  urgent  in  the  matter,  he  would  refer  it 
to  General  Grant,  whom  he  expected  to  visit  that  after- 
noon, and  his  decision,  of  course,  would  be  final.  I  said  to 
him  that  I  would  cheerfully  abide  by  any  decision  that 
either  one  of  them  would  make,  but  I  must  still  urge 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        247 

upon  him  that  I  thought  it  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
the  colored  troops  should  lead. 

"  General  Meade  did  go  to  see  General  Grant  that  day, 
and  I  think  returned  the  same  afternoon,  but  I  did  not 
hear  from  him.  During  the  next  forenoon  (Friday)  Gen- 
eral Wilcox  and  General  Potter,  commanding  two  of  my 
white  divisions,  came  to  my  headquarters  to  talk  over  the 
attack,  which  it  was  understood  would  be  made  the  next 
morning.  I  told  them  that  I  had  been  very  much  exer- 
cised the  day  before  lest  that  portion  of  my  plan  which 
contemplated  putting  the  colored  division  in  advance 
should  be  changed  by  General  Meade,  but  that  I  was 
pretty  well  satisfied  he  had  given  it  up,  because  I  had 
heard  nothing  further  from  him  about  it. 

"  "While  in  the  midst  of  this  conversation,  or  very  soon 
after,  General  Meade  came  to  my  headquarters,  and  there 
told  me  that  General  Grant  agreed  with  him  as  to  the 
disposition  of  the  troops,  and  that  I  would  not  be  allowed 
to  put  the  colored  division  in  the  advance.  I  asked  him 
if  that  decision  could  not  be  reconsidered;  he  replied, 
1  No,  general,  the  order  is  final ;  you  must  detail  one  of 
your  white  divisions  to  take  the  advance.'  I  said, '  Yery 
well,  general,  I  will  carry  out  this  plan  to  the  best  of  my 
ability.'" 

General  Grant  said  of  this  change  of  plan :  "  General 
Burnside  wanted  to  put  his  colored  division  in  front,1  and 
I  believe  if  he  had  done  so  it  would  have  been  a  success. 
Still  I  agreed  with  General  Meade  in  his  objection  to  that 
plan.  General  Meade  said  that  if  we  put  the  colored 
troops  in  front  (we  had  only  that  one  division),  and  it 
should  prove  a  failure,  it  would  then  be  said,  and  very 


1  In  his  "Personal  Memoirs"  (vol.  ii.,  p.  313)  Grant  says,  "Meade 
interfered  with  this." — G.  W.  W. 


248  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

properly,  that  we  were  shoving  those  people  ahead  to  get 
killed  because  we  did  not  care  anything  about  them,  but 
that  could  not  be  said  if  we  put  the  white  troops  in  front. 
That  is  the  only  point  he  (General  Meade)  changed  after 
he  had  given  his  orders  to  General  Burnside." 

Burnside  ordered  the  commanders  of  the  three  divis- 
ions composed  of  white  troops  to  draw  lots — a  curious  way 
of  deciding  such  an  important  question.  The  lot  fell  to 
Brigadier-general  J.  H.  Ledlie  of  the  first  division.  Grant 
had  rejected  the  opinions  of  nearly  all  the  military  critics 
of  Europe,  who  maintain  that  the  troops  on  the  ground 
are  fittest  for  such  work.  It  has  been  said  that  Ledlie 
was  the  poorest  choice  that  could  have  been  made  in  the 
army  in  front  of  Petersburg,  but  it  is  an  unfair  statement. 
He  did  the  best  he  could  under  the  circumstances. 

The  mine  was  to  be  fired  at  3.30  A.M.,  but  an  obstruc- 
tion in  the  train,  extending  through  the  gallery,  prevented 
an  explosion.  Lieutenant  Jacob  Douty  and  Sergeant  Henry 
Rees,  of  the  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania,  volunteered  to  re- 
move the  obstruction,  and  at  4.45  A.  M.  the  fuse  did  its 
work,  and  the  enemy's  fort  was  blown  up,  with  over  three 
hundred  picked  men.  When  the  air  was  clear  again,  where 
the  fort  had  stood  but  a  few  moments  before  was  now  a 
yawning  crater  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  sixty 
feet  in  width,  and  thirty  feet  in  depth.  It  was  through 
this  crater  of  loose  earth  that  Ledlie  was  to  charge.  The 
guns  along  the  line  had  opened  upon  the  enemy,  and  the 
very  earth  shook  and  rocked  to  their  roar.  Ledlie  led  his 
division  to  the  appointed  task,  but  there  was  neither  meth- 
od nor  martial  spirit  in  his  charge.  The  Tenth  New  Hamp- 
shire broke  into  the  shape  of  a  Y,  and  the  other  troops  fell 
into  disorder,  and  once  in  the  crater  the  confusion  was  in- 
describable. Two  other  white  divisions  were  sent  in,  but 
they  only  added  to  the  confusion,  for  Ledlie's  men  merely 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        249 

blocked  the  way.  For  two  hours — ages  on  the  battle-field 
— no  fighting  was  done,  but  the  enemy,  although  unnerved 
at  first,  had  recovered,  and  was  preparing  for  desperate  re- 
sistance. He  planted  guns  on  each  side  of  the  crater,  and 
threw  forward  infantry  to  strike  the  assaulting  column  on 
the  flanks,  while  his  guns  could  sweep  the  crater,  now  turned 
into  a  very  death-trap  for  the  brave  men  whose  brawn  had 
made  it.  At  the  critical  moment,  when  the  enemy  could 
not  only  hold  this  opening  in  his  works,  but  threatened 
to  sweep  through  and  rout  Meade,  the  Black  Division  was 
ordered  to  charge  and  gain  the  crest  beyond  the  crater. 
Three  veteran  white  divisions  had  been  hurled  back  in 
confusion,  but  these  Negro  troops  were  sent  forward  to 
contend  with  an  infuriated,  brave,  and  numerous  foe. 
They  were  gallantly  led,  and  nobly  followed  where  duty 
and  devotion  were  terribly  tested.  Obstructed  at  first  by 
the  disorganized  and  distracted  white  troops,  who,  raked 
front  and  rear,  could  neither  advance  nor  retreat,  they  sub- 
sequently charged  farther  to  the  right.  They  were  met 
with  a  destructive  enfilading  and  cross-fire.  Again  and 
again  they  charged  for  the  ridge,  but  it  was  now  too  firmly 
held  by  the  enemy,  and  after  exhibiting  great  courage  and 
sustaining  severe  loss,  these  Negro  troops  were  recalled. 
They  had  borne  themselves  with  conspicuous  gallantry, 
and  having  done  all  that  was  required  of  them  were  with- 
drawn to  their  works.  An  officer  of  the  Black  Division 
said,  after  the  engagement  was  concluded,  "  Our  men  went 
forward  with  enthusiasm  equal  to  anything  under  different 
circumstances;  but  in  going  through  the  fort  that  had 
been  blown  up,  the  passage  was  almost  impeded  by  obsta- 
cles thrown  up  by  the  explosion.  At  the  same  time  we 
were  receiving  a  most  deadly  cross-fire  from  both  flanks. 
At  this  time  our  lieutenant-colonel,  "W.  E.  W.  Ross,  fell, 
shot  through  the  left  leg,  bravely  leading  his  men.  I  im- 


250  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

mediately  assumed  command,  but  only  to  hold  it  a  fe\v 
minutes,  when  I  fell,  struck  by  a  piece  of  shell  in  the  side." 

Another  officer  in  this  division  testified  :  "  In  regard  to 
the  bravery  of  the  Colored  Troops,  although  I  have  been 
in  upward  of  twenty  battles,  I  never  saw  so  many  cases  of 
gallantry.  The  '  crater,'  where  we  were  halted,  was  a  per- 
fect slaughter-pen.  Had  not  'some  one  blundered,'  but 
moved  us  up  at  daylight  instead  of  eight  o'clock,  we  should 
have  been  crowned  with  success,  instead  of  being  cut  to 
pieces  by  a  terrific  enfilading  fire.  .  .  . 

"  I  was  never  under  such  a  terrific  fire,  and  can  hardly 
realize  how  any  escaped  alive.  Our  loss  was  heavy.  In 
the  Twenty-eighth  (colored),  for  instance,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant-colonel  Russell  (a  Bostonian),  he  lost  seven  out 
of  eleven  officers,  and  ninety-one  men  out  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-four;  and  the  colonel  himself  was  knocked 
over  senseless  for  a  few  minutes  by  a  slight  wound  in  the 
head.  Both  his  color-sergeants  and  all  his  color-guard  were 
killed.  .  Lieutenant  -  colonel  Bross,  of  the  Twenty -ninth 
(colored),  was  killed  outright,  and  nearly  every  one  of  his 
officers  hit.  This  was  nearly  equal  to  Bunker  Hill.  Colo- 
nel Ross,  of  the  Thirty-first  (colored),  lost  his  leg.  The 
Twenty-eighth,  Twenty-ninth,  and  Thirtieth  (colored)  all 
charged  over  the  works,  climbing  up  an  earthwork  six  feet 
high,  then  down  into  a  ditch,  and  up  on  the  other  side,  all 
the  time  under  the  severest  fire  in  front  and  flank.  Not 
being  supported,  of  course  the  storming  party  fell  back." 

The  "Negro  soldiers'  valor  was,  after  this  engagement, 
no  more  questioned  than  his  loyalty,  and  the  reputation 
secured  at  such  a  high  price  was  kept  untarnished  to  the 
end  of  the  campaign. 

In  the  action  at  Deep  Bottom,  Virginia,  enduring  from 
the  14th  until  the  18th  of  August,  1864,  Negro  troops 
fought  the  enemy  behind  his  intrenchments,  contended 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  251 

with  cavalry  and  sharp-shooters,  and  met  his  veteran  in- 
fantry in  the  open  field.  In  every  conflict  with  the  ene- 
my they  behaved  like  veterans,  and  exhibited  enthusiasm 
and  endurance  wonderful  in  raw  troops.  It  was  Grant's 
purpose,  not  at  all  dismayed  by  his  discomfiture  in  front 
of  Petersburg,  to  impel  a  considerable  force  against  the 
enemy's  left  facing  Deep  Bottom.  In  this  force,  incorpo- 
rated with  the  Tenth  Corps,  under  General  Birney,  were 
a  number  of  Negro  troops,  and  holding  the  right  of  the 
Union  line  on  the  river  side,  the  enemy  thought  to  dash 
through  and  turn  Grant's  flank.  Accordingly,  on  the  night 
of  the  18th  of  August,  1864,  the  enemy  assaulted  Birney 
vigorously ;  but  his  Negro  soldiers  were  cool  and  deter- 
mined, meeting  the  blow  with  courage.  Next  day  General 
Birney  made  the  following  report  of  the  assault : 

"  Headquarters  Tenth  Army  Corps,  August  19, 1864. 
"  Major-general  Butler,  commanding  Department: 

"  The  enemy  attacked  my  lines  in  heavy  force  last  night,  and  was 
repulsed  with  great  loss.  In  front  of  one  Colored  regiment  eighty-two 
dead  bodies  of  the  enemy  are  already  counted.  The  Colored  troops 
behaved  handsomely,  and  are  in  fine  spirits.  The  assault  was  in  col- 
umns a  division  strong,  and  would  have  carried  any  works  not  so  well 
defended.  The  enemy's  loss  was  at  least  one  thousand. 

"Respectfully, 
(Signed)  "  D.  B.  BIRNEY,  Major-general." 

On  the  29th  of  September,  1864,  General  Butler  de- 
spatched the  Tenth  Corps,  under  Birney,  and  the  Eight- 
eenth Corps,  under  Ord,  across  the  James,  intending  to 
find  and  turn  the  enemy's  left  flank,  while  "Warren  and 
Hancock  were  engaged  in  a  similar  movement  at  Hatch- 
er's Run.  Here  again  the  Negro  troops  under  Birney 
added  to  their  well-earned  reputation  for  gallantry.  The 
country  through  which  they  passed  was  heavily  wooded 
and  broken  by  numerous  hills.  The  enemy's  outposts 
were  struck  and  hurled  back  in  confusion,  and  the  white 


252  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

troops  were  ordered  to  assault  the  enemy  in  his  fortified 
position  on  Chaffin's  farm,  where  also  he  commanded  Fort 
Harrison.  The  white  troops  moved  forward  to  the  work 
with  courage  and  coolness,  but  the  assaulting  column  was 
again  and  again  smitten  with  shot  and  shell,  grape  and 
canister,  and  at  length  was  beaten  back  with  loss  and  con- 
fusion. General  Butler  addressed  the  Negro  troops  and 
ordered  them  to  take  the  fort  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
With  a  yell  that  told  the  enemy  his  position  was  untena- 
ble the  Negro  division  sprang  forward  and  charged  down 
a  hill,  through  a  tortuous  stream,  and  up  a  hill  again  to 
the  abatis.  Preceded  by  pioneers,  they  never  flinched  un- 
der the  terrific  fire  while  a  way  was  being  cut  for  them. 
The  enemy,  emboldened  by  the  apparent  hesitancy  of  the 
dark  warriors,  sprang  upon  his  works  and  exultingly  called 
out,  "  Come  on,  darkies,  we  want  your  muskets !"  The 
troops  rushed  forward,  crying,  "Remember  Fort  Pillow  /" 
The  enemy  retired  without  taking  their  guns,  but  the  con- 
tents cut  short  the  precipitous  retreat  of  many.  A  con- 
siderable number  of  prisoners  and  fifteen  guns  were  taken, 
and  the  Union  flag  was  planted  on  Fort  Harrison  by  Ne- 
gro troops.  It  was  a  brilliant  and  daring  piece  of  work, 
securing  the  New  Market  Road  and  a  strong  line  of  in- 
trenchments.  Fort  Harrison  occupied  a  commanding  po- 
sition overlooking  the  James  River,  and  but  five  miles 
from  Richmond.  North  of  this,  one  half  mile,  but  a  lit- 
tle farther  back,  was  Fort  Gilmer,  and  this  also  was  as- 
saulted by  Birney's  intrepid  Negro  soldiers.  It  was  a 
beautiful  autumn  afternoon,  and  a  cornfield,  free  of  all  ob- 
struction, was  the  ground  to  be  passed  over  in  the  charge. 
It  was,  indeed,  an  inspiring  sight  to  see  these  troops  charge 
Fort  Gilmer.  Shotted  cannon  blazed  and  smoked  and 
hurled  grape  and  canister  at  the  assaulting  columns.  But 
on  they  went,  and  many  of  the  Negro  soldiers  actually 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  253 

crawled  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  cannon.  A  sergeant  of 
one  of  these  regiments  planted  his  flag  on  the  fort,  but 
was  blown  to  atoms  the  next  moment  by  a  cannon  dis- 
charged when  he  was  but  two  feet  from  its  mouth.  Sev- 
eral charges  were  made,  but  all  in  vain.  Gilmer  was  an 
impregnable  fortress ;  and,  after  a  severe  loss,  the  troops 
were  withdrawn. 

But  the  capture  of  Fort  Harrison  was  too  great  a  men- 
ace to  Richmond,  and  the  enemy  determined  to  retake  it. 
Major-general  C.  "W.  Field  hurled  three  brigades  against 
Fort  Harrison  on  one  side,  while  General  Hoke  charged  on 
the  other  side,  the  next  morning,  the  30th  of  September. 
The  Negro  troops  held  their  ground  and  inflicted  great 
punishment  upon  the  enemy.  He  was  routed  and  beaten 
off  with  severe  loss.  The  position  thus  gained  was  held 
till  the  close  of  the  war;  and  the  campaign  of  1864  in 
Virginia,  opened  so  brilliantly  and  successfully  by  Negro 
troops,  was  closed  with  equal  valor  and  prowess.  The 
following  general  order  testifies  to  the  courage  of  these 
troops : 

"  Headquarters,  Third  Division,  Eighteenth  Army  Corps, 

"  Before  Richmond,  Virginia,  October  7, 1864. 
"  General  Orders  No.  103. 

"OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS  OF  THIS  DIVISION,— General  D.  B.  Bir- 
ney,  commanding  the  Tenth  Army  Corps,  has  desired  me  to  express 
to  you  the  high  satisfaction  he  felt  at  your  good  conduct  while  we 
were  serving  with  the  Tenth  Corps,  September  29  and  30,  1864,  and 
with  your  gallantry  iu  storming  New  Market  Heights. 

"I  have  delayed  issuing  this  order,  hoping  for  an  opportunity  to 
say  this  to  you  in  person. 

"Accept,  also,  my  own  thanks  for  your  gallantry  on  September  29, 
and  your  good  conduct  since.  You  have  won  the  good  opinion  of  the 
whole  Army  of  the  James,  and  every  one  who  knows  your  deeds. 

"  Let  every  officer  and  man,  on  all  occasions,  exert  himself  to  in- 
crease your  present  deserved  reputation. 

"C.  J.  PAINE, 

"  Brigadier- general. 
(Signed)  "S.  A.  CARTER, 

"Assistant  Adjutant-general." 


254  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

More  than  ten  years  after  this  campaign,  General  B.  F. 
Butler,  advocating  in  Congress  the  passage  of  a  bill  giving 
civil  rights  to  the  JSTegro  race,  said, "  I  went  myself  with 
the  Colored  troops  to  attack  the  enemy  at  New  Market 
Heights,  which  was  the  key  to  the  enemy's  flank  on  the 
north  side  of  James  River.  That  work  was  a  redoubt 
built  on  the  top  of  a  hill  of  some  considerable  elevation, 
then  running  down  into  a  marsh;  in  that  marsh  was  a 
brook;  then  rising  again  to  a  plain  which  gently  rolled 
away  towards  the  river.  On  that  plain,  when  the  flash 
of  dawn  was  breaking,  I  placed  a  column  of  three  thou- 
sand Colored  troops,  in  close  column  by  divisions,  right  in 
front,  with  guns  at  '  right  shoulder  shift.'  I  said, '  That 
work  must  be  taken  by  the  weight  of  your  column ;  no 
shot  must  be  fired ;'  and  to  prevent  their  firing  I  had  the 
caps  taken  from  the  nipples  of  their  guns.  Then  I  said, 
*  Your  cry,  when  you  charge,  will  be, "  Remember  Fort  Pil- 
low !" '  and  as  the  sun  rose  up  in  the  heavens  the  order 
was  given, ( Forward !'  and  they  inarched  forward,  steadily 
as  if  on  parade,  went  down  the  hill,  across  the  marsh ;  and 
as  they  got  into  the  brook  they  came  within  range  of  the 
enemy's  fire,  which  vigorously  opened  upon  them.  They 
broke  a  little  as  they  forded  the  brook,  and  the  column 
wavered.  Oh,  it  was  a  moment  of  intensest  anxiety  ;  but 
they  formed  again  as  they  reached  the  firm  ground,  march- 
ing steadily  on  with  closed  ranks  under  the  enemy's  fire, 
until  the  head  of  the  column  reached  the  first  line  of  aba- 
tis some  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  enemy's 
work.  Then  the  axe-men  ran  to  the  front  to  cut  away  the 
heavy  obstructions  of  defence,  while  one  thousand  men  of 
the  enemy,  with  their  artillery  concentrated,  poured  from 
the  redoubt  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  head  of  the  column 
hardly  wider  than  the  clerk's  desk.  The  axe-men  went 
down  under  that  murderous  fire;  other  strong  hands 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  255 

grasped  the  axes  in  their  stead,  and  the  abatis  is  cut  away. 
Again,  at  double-quick,  the  column  goes  forward  to  with- 
in fifty  yards  of  the  fort,  to  meet  there  another  line  of 
abatis.  The  column  halts,  and  there  a  very  fire  of  hell 
is  pouring  upon  them.  The  abatis  resists  and  holds ;  the 
head  of  the  column  seems  literally  to  melt  away  under 
the  rain  of  shot  and  shell ;  the  flags  of  the  leading  regi- 
ments go  down,  but  a  brave  black  hand  seizes  the  colors  ; 
they  are  up  again,  and  wave  their  starry  light  over  the 
storm  of  battle;  again  the  axe-men  fall,  but  strong  hands 
and  willing  hearts  seize  the  heavy,  sharpened  trees  and 
drag  them  away,  and  the  column  rushes  forward,  and  with 
a  shout  which  now  rings  in  my  ear,  go  over  the  redoubt 
like  a  flash,  and  the  enemy  never  stopped  running  for 
four  miles. 

"  It  became  my  painful  duty,  sir,  to  follow  in  the  track 
of  that  charging  column,  and  there,  in  a  space  not  wider 
than  the  clerk's  desk,  and  three  hundred  yards  long,  lay 
the  dead  bodies  of  five  hundred  and  forty-three  of  my 
Colored  comrades,  slain  in  the  defence  of  their  country, 
who  had  laid  down  their  lives  to  uphold  its  flag  and  its 
honor  as  a  willing  sacrifice  ;  and  as  I  rode  along  among 
them,  guiding  my  horse  this  way  and  that  way,  lest  he 
should  profane  with  his  hoofs  what  seemed  to  me  the  sa- 
cred dead,  and  as  I  looked  on  their  bronzed  faces  upturned 
in  the  shining  sun  as  if  in  mute  appeal  against  the  wrongs 
of  the  country  for  which  they  had  given  their  lives,  and 
whose  flag  had  only  been  to  them  a  flag  of  stripes  on 
which  no  star  of  glory  had  ever  shone  for  them — feeling 
I  had  wronged  them  in  the  past,  and  believing  what  was 
the  future  of  my  country  to  them — among  my  dead  com- 
rades there  I  swore  to  myself  a  solemn  oath :  '  May  my 
right  hand  forget  its  cunning,  and  my  tongue  cleave  to 
the  roof  of  my  mouth,  if  I  ever  fail  to  defend  the  rights 


256  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

of  those  men  who  have  given  their  blood  for  me  and  my 
country  this  day  and  for  their  race  forever;'  and,  God 
helping  me,  I  will  keep  that  oath."  * 

The  armies  in  Virginia  now  went  into  winter-quarters, 
and  the  same  zeal  manifested  in  the  field  characterized  the 
Negro  troops  in  camp.  They  were  patient  and  persever- 
ing in  drill,  and  vigilant  on  picket ;  and  their  high  char- 
acter for  soldiership,  won  on  the  battle-field,  entitled  them 
to  and  secured  for  them  the  cordial  comradeship  of  their 
white  compatriots. 

1  The  incident  and  sentiment  are  beautiful;  and  the  story  has  been 
told  with  telling  effect  in  several  political  campaigns.— G.  W.  W. 


IN   THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  257 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   FORT   PILLOW   MASSACRE  (1864). 

FORT  PILLOW  was  in  Tennessee,  about  forty  miles  from 
Memphis.  It  occupied  a  high  bluff  overlooking  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  flanked  by  two  deep  and  precipitous  ravines 
slightly  fringed  with  light  timber.  The  garrison  consist- 
ed of  two  hundred  and  ninety-five  men  of  the  Thirteenth 
Tennessee  Union  Cavalry,  under  command  of  Major  W,  F. 
Bradford,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  men  of  the  Sixth 
United  States  Heavy  Artillery  (Negroes),  making  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  men,  all  under  the  command  of  Major 
L.  F.  Booth,  of  the  Artillery.  The  slave  system  made  the 
entire  South  brutal,  and  many  soldiers  of  the  Confederate 
army  were  exceedingly  cruel  to  prisoners.  There  were 
two  classes  of  troops  in  the  Union  army  against  whom 
the  rebels  manifested  at  all  times  the  most  bitter  feeling. 
They  were  Union  wrhite  Southerners  and  ex-slaves.  They 
despised  the  latter  for  fighting  against  their  old  masters 
and  for  their  freedom  ;  they  hated  the  former  on  account 
of  their  loyal  sentiments  and  association  with  Negroes  in 
arms.  One  of  the  most  cruel  exhibitions  of  Confederate 
malice  was  the  massacre  of  the  garrison  of  Fort  Pillow 
after  it  had  surrendered. 

On  the  12th  of  April,  1864,  Major-general  N.  B.  Forrest, 
at  the  head  of  a  division  of  cavalry,  appeared  before  Fort 
Pillow  and  demanded  its  surrender.  The  fort  mounted 
six  guns,  and  the  gunboat  New  Era  rendered  the  belea- 
guered garrison  excellent  support.  Forrest's  summons  was 
17 


258  A   HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

declined,  and  the  battle  opened  some  time  before  sunrise, 
and  progressed  with  great  zeal  on  both  sides  until  9  A.M., 
when  the  gallant  Major  Booth  fell.  The  command  now 
devolved  upon  Major  Bradford,  and  he  immediately  with- 
drew the  strong  skirmish  line  that,  up  to  this  time,  had 
fearlessly  held  an  outer  line  of  intrenchments.  The  Ne- 
groes fought  their  guns  with  coolness  and  skill,  and  the 
New  Era  shelled  the  ravines  as  best  she  could.  But  owing 
to  the  height  of  the  embankments  the  work  of  the  gun- 
boat was  not  very  effective.  As  fast  as  the  enemy  was 
shelled  out  of  one  ravine  he  sought  shelter  in  the  other. 
Between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  there  was  a  lull  in  the 
fighting  on  both  sides,  when  the  New  Era  backed  into 
the  centre  of  the  river  to  cool  and  clean  her  guns.  Forrest 
seized  this  opportunity  to  summon  the  garrison  to  surren- 
der. First-lieutenant  Mack  J.  Learning,  adjutant  of  the 
Thirteenth  Tennessee  Cavalry,  met  the  enemy's  flag  of 
truce  about  three  o'clock,  and  conveyed  to  Major  Bradford 
General  Forrest's  summons,  which  was  declined.  Mean- 
while, in  violation  of  the  truce,  Forrest's  men  were  steal- 
ing the  horses  of  the  garrison,  and  crawling  to  the  shelter 
in  both  ravines.  The  summons,  as  recalled  by  Lieutenant 
Learning,  was  as  follows : 

"  Headquarters  Confederate  Cavalry,  near  Fort  Pillow, 

"AprinZ,  1864. 

"As  your  gallant  defence  of  the  fort  has  entitled  you  to  the  treat- 
ment of  brave  men  [or  something  to  that  effect],  I  now  demand  an 
unconditional  surrender  of  your  force,  at  the  same  time  assuring  you 
that  they  will  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war.  I  have  received  a  fresh 
supply  of  ammunition,  and  can  easily  take  your  position. 

"N.  B.  FORREST. 
"Major  L.  F.  BOOTH, 

"  Commanding  United  States  Forces." 

Major  Bradford  replied  that  he  desired  an  hour  for  con- 
sultation with  his  officers  and  the  officers  of  the  gunboat. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        259 

Captain  Young,  provost-marshal  of  the  post,  and  Lieuten- 
ant Learning  went  and  delivered  this  message  to  the  Con- 
federate flag  of  truce.  In  a  very  short  time  another  flag 
of  truce  appeared,  and  a  Confederate  officer  handed  a  mes- 
sage to  Lieutenant  Learning,  saying, "  That  gives  you  tw,en- 
ty  minutes  to  surrender;  I  am  General  Forrest."  Lieu- 
tenant Learning  conveyed  the  message  to  Major  Bradford. 
The  substance  of  Forrest's  summons  was :  "  Twenty  min- 
utes will  be  given  you  to  take  your  men  outside  of  the  fort. 
If  in  that  time  they  are  not  out  I  will  immediately  proceed 
to  assault  your  works."  Major  Bradford's  reply  was  de- 
spatched to  Forrest :  "  I  will  not  surrender."  When  this 
message  was  handed  to  Forrest  he  read  it,  and  saluting 
Learning,  turned  away  in  silence.  Learning  had  scarcely 
returned  to  the  fort  when  the  firing  began.  During  the 
parleying  a  large  force  of  the  enemy's  dismounted  cavalry 
had  crawled  so  near  the  fort  that  it  was  impossible  to  de- 
press the  guns  sufficiently  to  repel  them.  The  Negro  gun- 
ners were  now  without  a  single  commissioned  officer,  and 
had  suffered  terribly  from  the  enemy's  sharp-shooters,  who 
had  gained  possession  of  a  row  of  wooden  buildings  imme- 
diately in  front  of  the  fort.  At  length,  with  the  rebel  yell 
of  "No  quarter  /"  the  enemy  assaulted  the  exhausted  and 
decimated  garrison  with  a  savage  impetuosity  that  brooked 
no  resistance.  The  fort  was  carried.  As  rapidly  as  the 
men  surrendered  they  were  murdered,  and  the  Negroes, 
believing  that  no  mercy  would  be  shown  them,  rushed  at 
top  speed  down  the  bluff  to  the  river.  The  enemy  pur- 
sued, and  shot  them  down  as  soon  as  overtaken.  Many  of 
the  wounded,  to  escape  brutal  treatment,  feigned  death, 
but  they  were  revived  by  cruel  kicks  and  blows,  compelled 
to  rise  to  their  knees,  and  then  shot.  Some  sought  refuge 
in  the  merciful  river ;  but  the  enemy  fired  upon  them  until, 
bleeding  and  exhausted,  they  found  ample  sepulchre  in  the 


260  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

placid  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  In  one  place  under  the 
bluff  white  and  black  soldiers  had  huddled  together  for 
safety,  but  the  enemy  discovered  them  long  after  the  con- 
flict had  ended,  and  called  them  forth  to  a  cruel  death. 
First  a  white  soldier  would  be  called  out  and  ordered  to 
stand  up  and  be  shot  down ;  then  a  black  soldier  would 
have  to  respond  to  the  cruel  summons,  and  meet  death. 
The  women  and  children  of  the  garrison,  white  and  black, 
young  and  old,  mistress  and  servant,  were  shot  down  with 
indiscriminate  inhumanity. 

The  slaughter  went  on  until  night  closed  over  the  re- 
volting sight,  and  the  stars  shone  upon  murderer  and  vic- 
tim with  an  impartial  and  peerless  light. 

Next  morning,  no  reinforcements  having  arrived,  the 
surviving  Union  soldiers,  regardless  of  wounds,  were  set 
upon  by  the  enemy  and  robbed ;  the  wounded  were  con- 
veyed to  a  frame  building,  with  the  promise  that  medical 
aid  would  be  sent,  but  in  a  few  minutes  the  doors  were 
heavily  barred  and  the  building  fired.  Being  dry,  it  was 
only  a  short  time  before  the  building  and  the  wounded, 
helpless  prisoners  of  war  were  consumed.  Other  wound- 
ed, who  had  crawled  to  their  tents  during  the  night,  were 
nailed  to  the  floor  by  their  clothing,  and  in  this  condition 
were  burned  to  death.  Their  piteous  cries  touched  no 
heart,  brought  no  succor,  but  only  received  the  curses  of 
the  enemy.  A  Confederate  lieutenant  had  taken  a  Negro 
child  to  his  saddle,  intending  to  save  it ;  but  General  Chal- 
mers, seeing  this  "  womanish  conduct,"  ordered  the  lieu- 
tenant to  put  the  child  upon  the  ground  and  shoot  it. 
The  lieutenant  refused  to  kill  an  innocent  child.  The 
order  was  given  again  with  brutal  oaths  and  the  child 
was  murdered. 

Is  the  evidence  of  these  facts  demanded?  It  is  com- 
plete. First-lieutenant  Mack  J.  Learning,  under  oath  be- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        261 

fore  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  and  Expenditures  of 
the  War,  testified : 

"The  Negroes  ran  down  the  hill  towards  the  river,  but  the  rebels 
kept  shooting  them  as  they  were  running;  shot  some  again  after  they 
had  fallen,  robbed  and  plundered  them.  After  everything  was  all 
gone,  after  we  had  given  up  the  fort  entirely,  the  guns  thrown  away 
and  the  firing  on  our  part  stopped,  they  still  kept  up  their  murderous 
fire,  more  especially  on  the  Colored  troops,  I  thought,  although  the 
white  troops  suffered  a  great  deal.  I  know  the  Colored  troops  had  a 
great  deal  the  worst  of  it.  I  saw  several  shot  after  they  were  wound- 
ed ;  as  they  were  crawling  around,  the  secesh  would  step  out  and  blow 
their  brains  out. 

"  About  this  time  they  shot  me.  It  must  have  been  four  or  half- 
past  four  o'clock.  I  saw  there  was  no  chance  at  all,  and  threw  down 
my  sabre.  A  man  took  deliberate  aim  at  me,  but  a  short  distance 
from  me,  certainly  not  more  than  fifteen  paces,  and  shot  me. " 

"  Q.  With  a  musket  or  pistol?" 

"A.  I  think  it  was  a  carbine;  it  may  have  been  a  musket,  but  my 
impression  is  that  it  was  a  carbine.  Soon  after  I  was  shot  I  was  robbed. 
A  secesh  soldier  came  along,  and  wanted  to  know  if  I  had  any  green- 
backs. I  gave  him  my  pocket-book.  I  had  about  a  hundred  dollars, 
I  think,  more  or  less,  and  a  gold  watch  and  chain.  They  took  every- 
thing in  the  way  of  valuables  that  I  had.  I  saw  them  robbing  others. 
That  seemed  to  be  the  general  way  they  served  the  wounded,  so  far 
as  regards  those  who  fell  in  my  vicinity.  Some  of  the  Colored  troops 
jumped  into  the  river,  but  were  shot  as  fast  as  they  were  seen.  One 
poor  fellow  was  shot  as  he  reached  the  bank  of  the  river.  They  ran 
down  and  hauled  him  out.  He  got  on  his  hands  and  knees,  and  was 
crawling  along,  when  a  secesh  soldier  put  his  revolver  to  his  head  and 
blew  his  brains  out.  It  was  about  the  same  thing  all  along,  until  dark 
that  night. 

"  I  was  very  weak,  but  I  finally  found  a  rebel  who  belonged  to  a  so- 
ciety that  I  am  a  member  of  (the  Masons),  and  he  got  two  of  our  Col- 
ored soldiers  to  assist  me  up  the  hill,  and  he  brought  me  some  water. 
At  that  time  it  was  about  dusk.  He  carried  me  up  just  to  the  edge  of 
the  fort,  and  laid  me  down.  There  seemed  to  be  quite  a  number  of 
dead  collected  there.  They  were  throwing  them  into  the  outside 
trench,  and  I  heard  them  talking  about  burying  them  there.  I  heard 
one  of  them  say,  'There  is  a  man  who  is  not  quite  dead  yet.'  They 
buried  a  number  there;  I  do  not  know  how  many. 

"I  was  carried  that  night  to  a  sort  of  little  shanty  that  the  rebels 


262  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

had  occupied  during  the  day  with  their  sharp-shooters.  I  received  no 
medical  attention  that  night  at  all.  The  next  morning  early  I  heard 
the  report  of  cannon  down  the  river.  It  was  the  gunboat  28  coming 
up  from  Memphis;  she  was  shelling  the  rebels  along  the  shore  as  she 
came  up.  The  rebels  immediately  ordered  the  burning  of  all  the  build- 
ings, and  ordered  the  two  buildings  where  the  wounded  were  to  be 
fired.  Some  one  called  to  the  officer  who  gave  the  order,  and  said 
there  were  wounded  in  them.  The  building  I  was  in  began  to  catch 
fire.  I  prevailed  upon  one  of  our  soldiers  who  had  not  been  hurt  much 
to  draw  me  out,  and  I  think  others  got  the  rest  out.  They  drew  us 
down  a  little  way,  in  a  sort  of  gully,  and  we  lay  there  in  the  hot  sun 
without  water  or  anything. 

"  About  this  time  a  squad  of  rebels  came  around,  it  would  seem  for 
the  purpose  of  murdering  what  Negroes  they  could  find.  They  began 
to  shoot  the  wounded  Negroes  all  around  there,  interspersed  with  the 
whites.  I  was  lying  a  little  way  from  a  wounded  Negro,  when  a  secesh 
soldier  came  up  to  him,  and  said,  'What  in  hell  are  you  doing  here?' 
The  Colored  soldier  said  he  wanted  to  get  on  the  gunboat.  The  secesh 
soldier  said, '  You  want  to  fight  us  again,  do  you?  Damn  you,  I'll  teach 
you,'  and  drew  up  his  gun  and  shot  him  dead.  Another'  Negro  was 
standing  up  erect  a  little  way  from  me— he  did  not  seem  to  be  hurt 
much.  The  rebel  loaded  his  gun  again  immediately.  The  Negro  begged 
of  him  not  to  shoot  him,  but  he  drew  up  his  gun  and  took  deliberate 
aim  at  his  head.  The  gun  snapped,  but  he  fixed  it  again,  and  then  killed 
him.  I  saw  this.  I  heard  them  shooting  all  around  there — I  suppose 
killing  them." 

Major  Williams,  a  private  in  Company  B,  Sixth  United 
States  Heavy  Artillery,  testified  as  follows : 

"  Q.  "Was  there  anything  said  about  giving  quarter?" 
"A.  Major  Bradford  brought  in  a  black  flag,  which  meant  no  quar- 
ter. I  heard  some  of  the  rebel  officers  say, '  You  damned  rascals,  if 
you  had  not  fought  us  so  hard,  but  had  stopped  when  we  sent  in  a 
flag  of  truce,  we  would  not  have  done  anything  to  you.'  I  heard  one 
of  the  officers  say,  'Kill  all  the  niggers;'  another  one  said,  'No;  For- 
rest says  take  them  and  carry  them  with  him  to  wait  upon  him  and 
cook  for  him,  and  put  them  in  jail  and  send  them  to  their  masters.' 
Still  they  kept  on  shooting.  They  shot  at  me  after  that,  but  did  not 
hit  me;  a  rebel  officer  shot  at  me.  He  took  aim  at  my  side;  at  the 
crack  of  his  pistol  I  fell.  He. went  on,  and  said, '  There's  another  dead 
nigger.'" 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  263 

"  Q.  Was  there  any  shot  in  the  hospital  that  day?" 

"  A.  Not  that  I  know  of.  I  think  they  all  came  away  and  made  a 
raft,  and  floated  across  the  mouth  of  the  creek  and  got  into  a  flat- 
bottom." 

"  Q.  Did  you  see  any  buildings  burned?" 

"  A.  I  stayed  in  the  woods  all  day  Wednesday.  I  was  there  Thurs- 
day and  looked  at  the  buildings.  I  saw  a  great  deal  left  that  they  did 
not  have  a  chance  to  burn  up.  I  saw  a  white  man  burned  up  who 
was  nailed  up  against  the  house." 

"  Q.  A  private  or  an  officer?" 

"  A.  An  officer;  I  think  it  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Tennessee  cav- 
alry." 

"  Q.  How  was  he  nailed?" 

"  A.  Through  his  hands  and  feet,  right  against  the  house." 

"  Q.  Was  his  body  burned?" 

"  A.  Yes,  sir;  burned  all  over — I  looked  at  him  good." 

"  Q.  When  did  you  see  that?" 

"A.  Pn  the  Thursday  after  the  battle." 

"  Q.  Where  was  the  man?" 

"A.  Right  in  front  of  the  fort." 

Ransom  Anderson,  private  in  Company  B,  Sixth  United 
States  Heavy  Artillery,  testified  as  follows  : 

"  Q.  Describe  what  you  saw  done  there." 

"A.  Most  all  the  men  that  were  killed  on  our  side  were  killed  after 
the  fight  was  over.  They  called  them  out  and  shot  them  down.  Then 
they  put  some  in  the  houses  and  shut  them  up,  and  then  burned  the 
houses." 

"  Q.  Did  you  see  them  burn?" 

"A.  Yes,  sir." 

"  Q.  Were  any  of  them  alive?" 

"A.  Yes,  sir;  they  were  wounded,  and  could  not  walk.  They  put 
them  in  the  houses,  and  then  burned  the  houses  down." 

"  Q.  Do  you  know  they  were  in  there?" 

"A.  Yes,  sir;  I  went  and  looked  in  there." 

"  Q.  Do  you  know  they  were  in  there  when  the  house  was  burned?" 

"A.  Yes,  sir;  I  heard  them  hallooing  there  when  the  houses  were 
burning." 

"  Q.  Are  you  sure  they  were  wounded  men,  and  not  dead  men, 
when  they  were  put  in  there?" 

"A.  Yes,  sir;  they  told  them  they  were  going  to  have  the  doctor  see 
them,  and  then  put  them  in  there  and  shut  them  up,  and  burned  them." 


264  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

"  Q.  Who  set  the  house  on  fire?" 

"A.  I  saw  a  rebel  soldier  take  some  grass  and  lay  it  by  the  door, 
and  set  it  on  fire.     The  door  was  pine  plank,  and  it  caught  easy. " 
"  Q.  Was  the  door  fastened  up?" 
"A.  Yes, sir;  it  was  barred  with  one  of  those  wide  bolts." 

John  F.  Ray,  private  in  Company  B,  Thirteenth  Ten- 
nessee Cavalry,  testified : 

"  Q.  Will  you  state  what  you  saw  there?" 

"  A.  After  I  surrendered  they  shot  down  a  great  many  white  fel- 
lows right  close  to  me — ten  or  twelve,  I  suppose — and  a  great  many 
Negroes  too." 

"  Q.  How  long  did  they  keep  shooting  our  men  after  they  surren- 
dered?" 

"A.  I  heard  guns  away  after  dark  shooting  all  that  evening  some- 
where; they  kept  up  a  regular  fire  for  a  long  time,  and  then  I  heard 
the  guns  once  in  a  while." 

"  Q.  Did  you  see  any  one  shot  the  next  day?" 

"A.  I  did  not;  I  was  in  a  house,  and  could  not  get  up  at  all." 

"  Q.  Do  you  know  what  become  of  the  quartermaster  of  your  regi- 
ment, Lieutenant  Ackerstrom?" 

"A.  He  was  shot  by  the  side  of  me." 

"Q.  Was  he  killed?" 

"A.  I  thought  so  at  the  time;  he  fell  on  his  face.  He  was  shot  in 
the  forehead,  and  I  thought  he  was  killed.  I  heard  afterwards  that  he 
was  not." 

"  Q.  Did  you  notice  anything  that  took  place  while  the  flag  of  truce 
was  in?" 

"A.  I  saw  the  rebels  slipping  up  and  getting  in  the  ditch  along  our 
breastworks." 

"  Q.  How  near  did  they  come  up?" 

"A.  They  were  right  at  us,  right  across  from  the  breastworks.  I 
asked  them  what  they  were  slipping  up  there  for.  They  made  answer 
that  they  knew  their  business. " 

"  Q.  Are  you  sure  this  was  done  while  the  flag  of  truce  was  in?" 

"A.  Yes,  sir.  There  was  no  firing;  we  could  see  all  around;  we 
could  see  them  moving  up  all  around  in  large  force." 

"  Q.  Was  anything  said  about  it  except  what  you  said  to  the  rebels?" 

"A.  I  heard  all  our  boys  talking  about  it.  I  heard  some  of  our 
officers  remark,  as  they  saw  it  coming,  that  the  white  flag  was  a  bad 
thing ;  that  they  were  slipping  on  us.  I  believe  it  was  Lieutenant 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  265 

Ackerstrom  that  I  heard  say  it  was  against  the  rules  of  war  for  them 
to  come  up  in  that  way." 

"  Q.  To  whom  did  he  say  that?" 

"  A.  To  those  fellows  coming  up;  they  had  officers  with  them." 

"  Q.  Was  Lieutenant  Ackerstrom  shot  before  or  after  he  had  sur- 
rendered?" 

"  A.  About  two  minutes  after  the  flag  of  truce  went  back,  during 
the  action." 

"  Q.  Do  you  think  of  anything  else  to  state  ?  If  so,  go  on  and  state 
it." 

"A.  I  saw  a  rebel  lieutenant  take  a  little  Negro1  boy  up  on  the  horse 
behind  him,  and  then  I  heard  General  Chalmers — I  think  it  must  have 
been — tell  him  to  '  take  that  Negro  down  and  shoot  him,'  or  '  take  him 
and  shoot  him,'  and  he  passed  him  down  and  shot  him." 

"  Q.  How  large  was  the  boy?" 

"A.  He  was  more  than  eight  years  old.  I  heard  the  lieutenant  tell 
the  other  that  the  Negro  was  not  in  the  service;  that  he  was  nothing 
but  a  child;  that  he  was  pressed  and  brought  in  there.  The  other  one 
said,  'Damn  the  difference;  take  him  down  and  shoot  him,  or  I  will 
shoot  him.'  I  think  it  must  have  been  General  Chalmers.  He  was  a 
smallish  man;  he  had  on  a  long  gray  coat  with  a  star  on  his  coat." J 

Iii  addition  to  the  outrages  committed  at  Fort  Pillow, 
many  wounded  were  cast  into  the  ditches  and  buried  alive. 
The  evidence  is  ample,  and  the  enemy  may  testify  to  ms^ 
own  inhumanity.  Writing  from  Okalona,  Mississippi,  to 
the  Atlanta  Appeal,  under  date  of  June  14, 1864,  a  rebel 
said: 

"  You  have  heard  that  our  soldiers  buried  Negroes  alive 

1  General  Chalmers  has  denied  with  vehemence  that  he  did  any  cruel 
act  at  Fort  Pillow,  but  the  record  is  against  him.  Soldiers  under  b/ave, 
intelligent,  and  humane  officers  could  never  be  guilty  of  such  cruel  and 
unchristian  conduct  as  these  rebels  at  Pillow.  General  Chalmers  is 
responsible.  As  an  illustration  of  the  gentle  and  forgiving  spirit  of  the 
Negro,  it  should  be  recorded  here  that  many  supported  the  candidacy 
of  General  Chalmers  for  Congress,  and  voted  for  him  at  the  recent  elec- 
tion in  Mississippi. — G.  W.  W. 

1  Vide  Report  of  Committee  on  Conduct  of  War,  etc.,  "Rebellion 
Record,"  vol.  viii.,  Doc.,  pp.  1-80. 


266  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

at  Fort  Pillow.  That  is  true.  At  the  first  fire,  after  For- 
rest's men  scaled  the  walls,  many  of  the  Negroes  threw 
down  their  arms  and  fell  as  if  they  were  dead.  They  per- 
ished in  the  pretence,  and  could  only  be  restored  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet.  To  resuscitate  some  of  them,  more 
terrified  than  the  rest,  they  were  rolled  into  the  trenches 
made  as  receptacles  for  the  fallen.  Vitality  was  not  re- 
stored until  breathing  was  obstructed,  and  then  the  resur- 
rection began.  On  these  facts  is  based  the  pretext  for  the 
crimes  committed  by  Sturgis,  Grierson,  and  their  followers. 
You  must  remember,  too,  that  in  the  extremity  of  their 
terror,  or  for  other  reasons,  the  Yankees  and  Negroes  in 
Fort  Pillow  neglected  to  haul  down  their  flag.  In  truth, 
relying  upon  their  gunboats,  the  officers  expected  to  anni- 
hilate our  forces  after  we  had  entered  the  fortifications. 
They  did  not  intend  to  surrender. 

"  A  terrible  retribution,  in  any  event,  has  befallen  the 
ignorant,  deluded  Africans." 

In  a  long  and  curiously  interesting  correspondence  with 
General  C.  C.  Washburn,  General  Forrest  practically  ad- 
mitted and  sought  to  justify  the  atrocities  at  Fort  Pillow. 
He  asserted  that  Negroes  were  not  prisoners  of  war,  but 
property  •  that  the  desperate  fighting  of  the  Negro  troops 
invited  and  provoked  cruel  treatment,  but  did  not  deny 
the  barbarous  treatment  inflicted  upon  Negro  soldiers  after 
they  had  surrendered.  And  thus  General  N.  B.  Forrest 
struck  his  name  from  the  roll  of  brave  professional  soldiers, 
and  wrote  it  in  dishonor  on  the  black  list  of  men  who  have 
disgraced  the  profession  of  arms  and  insulted  and  outraged 
humanity. 

After  the  civilized  world  had  had  time  to  breathe  agaiu, 
General  Forrest  saw  where  he  stood,  and  sought  by  unfair 
means  to  extort  testimony  favorable  to  himself  from  a 
Union  officer  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  at  Fort  Pillow. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         267 

Papers  were  drawn  up  by  General  Forrest,  and  sent  to 
Captain  John  T.  Young,  a  Union  prisoner,  to  sign.  After 
reading  the  papers  Captain  Young  found  that  to  sign  them 
would  be  to  exonerate  General  Forrest  from  the  charge 
of  brutality,  of  which  he  stood  guilty  before  the  civilized 
world.  A  report  was  circulated  in  the  Confederate  hos- 
pital, where  he  was  sick,  that  he  was  recognized  as  a  de- 
serter from  the  rebel  army,  and  that  he  was  to  be  tried 
by  court-martial  and  shot.  Finally,  General  Forrest  sent 
Judge  P.  T.  Scooggs  to  induce  the  sick  captain  to  sign 
some  kind  of  a  paper.  This  was  done,  ultimately,  with  the 
understanding  and  agreement  that  it  was  only  to  be  used 
at  Confederate  headquarters,  and  would  not  be  gazetted. 
This  was  in  May,  1864.  In  September,  soon  after  Captain 
Young  had  been  returned  to  the  Union  lines,  he  wrote  a 
letter  to  General  C.  C.  Washburn,  commanding  the  Dis- 
trict of  West  Tennessee,  explaining  how  he  came  to  sign 
the  document  for  General  Forrest,  and  repudiating  its  con- 
tents. 

Even  General  Forrest's  chief,  Lieutenant-general  S.  D. 
Lee,  attempted  no  apology  for  the  Fort  Pillow  massacre, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  exulted  in  the  conduct  of  General 
Forrest's  men. 

"I  respectfully  refer  you,"  wrote  General  Lee  to  General  Wash- 
burn,  "to  history  for  numerous  cases  of  indiscriminate  slaughter,  even 
under  less  aggravated  circumstances. 

"It  is  generally  conceded  by  all  military  precedents  that  where  tke 
issue  has  been  fairly  presented,  and  the  ability  displayed,  fearful  re- 
sults are  expected  to  follow  a  refusal  to  surrender." 

General  Washburn  replied: 

"  The  record  in  the  case  is  plainly  made  up,  and  I  leave  it.  You 
justify  and  approve  it,  and  appeal  to  history  for  precedents. 

"As  I  have  said,  history  furnishes  no  parallel.  True,  there  are  in- 
stances where,  after  a  long  and  protracted  resistance,  resulting  in  heavy 
loss  to  the  assailing  party,  the  garrison  has  been  put  to  the  sword,  but 


A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

I  know  of  no  such  instance  that  did  not  bring  dishonor  upon  the  com- 
mander that  ordered  or  suffered  it. 

"There  is  no  Englishman  that  would  not  gladly  forget  Badajos,  nor 
a  Frenchman  that  exults  when  Jaffa  or  the  Caves  of  Dahra  and  Shelas 
are  spoken  of.  The  massacre  of  Glencoe,  which  the  world  has  read 
of  with  horror  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  pales  into  insignificance 
before  the  truthful  recital  of  Fort  Pillow. 

' '  The  desperate  defence  of  the  Alamo  was  the  excuse  for  the  slaugh- 
ter of  its  brave  survivors  after  it  surrendered,  yet  that  act  was  received 
with  just  execration,  and  we  are  told  by  the  historian  that  it  led  more 
than  anything  else  to  the  independence  of  Texas. 

"At  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto  the  Texans  rushed  into. action  with 
the  war-cry  'Remember  the  Alamo!'  and  carried  all  before  them. 

"You  will  seek  in  vain  for  consultation  in  history,  pursue  the  in- 
quiry as  far  as  you  may. 

"  Your  desire  to  shift  the  responsibility  of  the  Fort  Pillow  massacre, 
or  to  find  excuses  for  it,  is  not  strange.  But  the  responsibility  still  re- 
mains where  it  belongs,  and  there  it  will  remain." 1 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1865,  at  Meridian,  Mississippi, 
General  Forrest  gave  the  following  account,  or  confession, 
of  the  Fort  Pillow  massacre  to  Bryan  McAlister : 

"  At  Fort  Pillow  I  sent  in  a  flag  of  truce,  and  demanded  an  uncon- 
ditional surrender,  or  I  would  not  answer  for  my  men.  This  they  re- 
fused. I  sent  them  another  note,  giving  them  one  hour  to  determine. 
This  they  refused.  I  could  see  on  the  river  boats  loaded  with  troops. 
They  sent  back  asking  for  an  hour  more.  I  gave  them  twenty  min- 
utes. I  sat  on  my  horse  during  the  whole  time. 

' '  The  fort  was  filled  with  niggers  and  deserters  from  our  army :  men 
who  lived  side  by  side  with  my  men.  I  waited  five  minutes  after  the 
time,  and  then  blew  my  bugle  for  the  charge.  In  twenty  minutes  my 
men  were  over  the  works,  and  the  firing  had  ceased.  The  citizens  and 
Yankees  had  broken  in  the  heads  of  whiskey  and  lager-beer  barrels, 
and  were  all  drunk.  They  kept  up  firing  all  the  time  as  they  went 
down  the  hill.  Hundreds  of  them  rushed  to  the  river  and  tried  to 
swim  to  the  gunboats,  and  my  men  shot  them  down.  The  Mississippi 
was  red  with  their  blood  for  three  hundred  yards.  During  all  this  time 
their  flag  was  still  flying,  and  I  rushed  over  the  works  and  cut  the  hal- 

1  For  the  correspondence  between  General  Lee  and  General  Wash- 
burn,  vide  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  x.,  pp.  721-730. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  269 

yards  and  let  it  down  and  stopped  the  fight.  Many  of  the  Yankees 
were  in  tents  in  front,  and  they  were  in  their  way,  as  they  concealed 
my  men,  and  some  of  them  set  them  on  fire.  If  any  were  burned  to 
death  it  was  in  those  tents."  l 

The  Joint  Committee  on  the  Conduct  and  Expenditures 
of  the  War  despatched  the  Hon.  B.  F.  Wade,  on  the  part 
of  the  Senate,  and  the  Hon.  D.  W.  Gooch,  on  the  part  of 
the  House,  as  a  sub-committee  to  investigate  the  Fort  Pil- 
low butchery.  In  their  report,  among  many  statements 
corroborated  by  the  strongest  evidence,  they  said  : 

"Then  followed  a  scene  of  cruelty  and  murder  without  parallel  in 
civilized  warfare,  which  needed  but  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife 
to  exceed  the  worst  atrocities  ever  committed  by  savages.  The  rebels 
commenced  an  indiscriminate  slaughter,  sparing  neither  age  nor  sex, 
white  nor  black,  soldier  nor  civilian.  The  officers  and  men  seemed  to 
vie  with  each  other  in  the  devilish  work;  men,  women,  and  even  chil- 
dren, wherever  found,  were  deliberately  shot  down,  beaten,  and  hacked 
with  sabres;  some  of  the  children,  not  more  than  ten  years  old,  were 
forced  to  stand  up  and  face  their  murderers  while  being  shot;  the  sick 
and  the  wounded  were  butchered  without  mercy,  the  rebels  even  en- 
tering the  hospital  building  and  dragging  them  out  to  be  shot,  or  kill- 
ing them  as  they  lay  there  unable  to  offer  the  least  resistance.  All 
over  the  hill-side  the  work  of  murder  was  going  on;  numbers  of  our 
men  were  collected  together  in  lines  or  groups  and  deliberately  shot; 
some  were  shot  while  in  the  river,  while  others  on  the  bank  were  shot 
and  their  bodies  kicked  into  the  water,  many  of  them  still  living,  but 
unable  to  make  any  exertions  to  save  themselves  from  drowning. 
Some  of  the  rebels  stood  on  the  top  of  the  hill  or  a  short  distance  down 
its  side,  and  called  to  our  soldiers  to  come  up  to  them,  and  as  they 
approached,  shot  them  down  in  cold  blood ;  if  their  guns  and  pistols 
missed  fire,  forcing  them  to  stand  there  until  they  were  again  prepared 
to  fire.  All  around  were  heard  cries  of  'No  quarter  I'  'No  quarter!' 
'Kill  the  damned  niggers!  Shoot  them  down!'  All  who  asked  for 
mercy  were  answered  by  the  most  cruel  taunts  and  sneers.  Some  were 
spared  for  a  time,  only  to  be  murdered  under  circumstances  of  greater 
cruelty.  No  cruelty  which  the  most  fiendish  malignity  could  devise 
was  omitted  by  these  murderers.  One  white  soldier,  who  was  wounded 
in  one  leg  so  as  to  be  unable  to  walk,  was  made  to  stand  up  while  his 

1  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  viii.,  poetry,  pp.  55,  56. 


270  A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

tormentors  shot  him;  others  who  were  wounded  and  unable  to  stand 
were  held  up  and  again  shot.  One  Negro  who  had  been  ordered  by  a 
rebel  officer  to  hold  his  horse  was  killed  by  him  when  he  remounted ; 
another,  a  mere  child,  whom  an  officer  had  taken  up  behind  him  on  his 
horse,  was  seen  by  Chalmers,  who  at  once  ordered  the  officer  to  put 
him  down  and  shoot  him,  which  was  done.  The  huts  and  tents  in 
which  many  of  the  wounded  had  sought  shelter  were  set  on  fire,  both 
that  night  and  the  next  morning,  while  the  wounded  were  still  in  them 
—those  only  escaping  who  were  able  to  get  themselves  out,  or  who 
could  prevail  on  others  less  injured  than  themselves  to  help  them  out ; 
and  even  some  of  those  thus  seeking  to  escape  the  flames  were  met  by 
those  ruffians  and  brutally  shot  down,  or  had  their  brains  beaten  out. 
One  man  was  deliberately  fastened  down  to  the  floor  of  a  tent,  face 
upward,  by  means  of  nails  driven  through  his  clothing  and  into  the 
boards  under  him,  so  that  he  could  not  possibly  escape,  and  then  the 
tent  set  on  fire;  another  was  nailed  to  the  side  of  a  building  outside  of 
the  fort,  and  then  the  building  was  set  on  fire  and  burned.  The  charred 
remains  of  five  or  six  bodies  were  afterwards  found,  all  but  one  so  much 
disfigured  and  consumed  by  the  flames  that  they  could  not  be  identi- 
fied, and  the  identification  of  that  one  is  not  absolutely  certain,  although 
there  can  hardly  be  a  doubt  that  it  was  the  body  of  Lieutenant  John 
C.  Ackerstrom,  quartermaster  of  the  Thirteenth  Tennessee  Cavalry, 
and  a  native  Tennesseean;  several  witnesses  who  saw  the  remains,  and 
who  were  personally  acquainted  with  him  while  living,  have  testified 
that  it  is  their  firm  belief  that  it  was  his  body  that  was  thus  treated. 

"These  deeds  of  murder  and  cruelty  ceased  when  night  came  on, 
only  to  be  renewed  the  next  morning,  when  the  demons  carefully  sought 
among  the  dead  lying  about  in  all  directions  for  any  wounded  yet  alive, 
and  those  they  found  were  deliberately  shot.  Scores  of  the  dead  and 
wounded  were  found  there  the  day  after  the  massacre  by  the  men  from 
some  of  our  gunboats  who  were  permitted  to  go  on  shore  and  collect 
the  wounded  and  bury  the  dead.  The  rebels  themselves  had  made  a 
pretence  of  burying  a  great  many  of  their  victims,  but  they  had  merely 
thrown  them,  without  the  least  regard  to  care  or  decency,  into  the 
trenches  and  ditches  about  the  fort,  or  the  little  hollows  and  ravines  on 
the  hill-side,  covering  them  but  partially  with  earth.  Portions  of  the 
heads  and  faces,  hands  and  feet,  were  found  protruding  through  the 
earth  in  every  direction.  The  testimony  also  establishes  the  fact  that 
the  rebels  buried  some  of  the  living  with  the  dead,  a  few  of  whom  suc- 
ceeded afterwards  in  digging  themselves  out,  or  were  dug  out  by  others, 
one  of  whom  your  Committee  found  in  Mound  City  Hospital,  and  there 
examined.  And  even  when  your  Committee  visited  the  spot,  two  weeks 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        271 

afterwards,  although  parties  of  men  had  been  sent  on  shore  from  time 
to  time  to  bury  the  bodies  unburied  and  re-bury  the  others,  and  were 
even  then  engaged  in  the  same  work,  we  found  the  evidences  of  this 
murder  and  cruelty  still  most  painfully  apparent.  We  saw  bodies  still 
unburied  (at  some  distance  from  the  fort)  of  some  sick  men  who  had 
been  met  fleeing  from  the  hospital,  and  beaten  down  and  brutally  mur- 
dered, and  their  bodies  left  where  they  had  fallen.  We  could  still  see 
the  faces,  hands,  and  feet  of  men,  white  and  black,  protruding  out  of 
the  ground,  whose  graves  had  not  been  reached  by  those  engaged  in 
reinterring  the  victims  of  the  massacre;  and  although  a  great  deal  of 
rain  had  fallen  within  the  preceding  two  weeks,  the  ground,  more  espe- 
cially on  the  side  and  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  where  most  of  the  mur- 
ders had  been  committed,  was  still  discolored  by  the  blood  of  our  brave 
but  unfortunate  men,  and  the  logs  and  trees  showed  but  too  plainly  the 
evidences  of  the  atrocities  perpetrated  there. 

"Many  other  instances  of  equally  atrocious  cruelty  might  be  enu- 
merated, but  your  Committee  feel  compelled  to  refrain  from  giving 
here  more  of  the  heart-sickening  details,  and  refer  to  the  statements 
contained  in  the  voluminous  testimony  herewith  submitted.  Those 
statements  were  obtained  by  them  from  eye-witnesses  and  sufferers; 
many  of  them,  as  they  were  examined  by  your  Committee,  were  lying 
upon  beds  of  pain  and  suffering,  some  so  feeble  that  their  lips  could 
with  difficulty  frame  the  words  by  which  they  endeavored  to  convey 
some  idea  of  the  cruelties  which  had  been  inflicted  on  them,  and  which 
they  had  seen  inflicted  on  others. 

"How  many  of  our  troops  thus  fell  victims  to  the  malignity  and 
barbarity  of  Forrest  and  his  followers  cannot  yet  be  definitely  ascer- 
tained. Two  officers  belonging  to  the  garrison  were  absent  at  the  time 
of  the  capture  and  massacre.  Of  the  remaining  officers  but  two  are 
known  to  be  living,  and  they  are  wounded,  and  now  in  the  hospital  at 
Mound  City.  One  of  them,  Captain  Porter,  may  even  now  be  dead,  as 
the  surgeons,  when  your  Committee  were  there,  expressed  no  hope  of 
his  recovery.  Of  the  men,  from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  are 
known  to  have  been  killed  at  Fort  Pillow,  of  whom  at  least  three  hun- 
dred were  murdered  in  cold  blood  after  the  post  was  in  possession  of 
the  rebels,  and  our  men  had  thrown  down  their  arms  and  ceased  to 
offer  resistance.  Of  the  survivors,  except  the  wounded  in  the  hospital 
at  Mound  City,  and  the  few  who  succeeded  in  making  their  escape  un- 
hurt, nothing  definite  is  known,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  many  have 
been  murdered  after  being  taken  away  from  the  Fort. 

"In  reference  to  the  fate  of  Major  Bradford,  who  was  in  command 
of  the  Fort  when  it  was  captured,  and  who  had  up  to  that  time  received 


272  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

no  injury,  there  seems  to  be  no  doubt.  The  general  understanding 
everywhere  seemed  to  be  that  he  had  been  brutally  murdered  the  day 
after  he  was  taken  prisoner." J 

On  the  morning  of  the  engagement  at  Fort  Pillow  there 
were  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  Negro  soldiers  in  the 
garrison.  The  War  Department  record  shows  that  three 
officers  were  killed,  one  wounded,  and  five  missing :  total 
nine ;  that  there  were  eight  enlisted  men  killed  and  two 
hundred  and  twenty-one  missing :  total  two  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  ;  grand  total  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight ! 
These  figures  are  significant.  This  is  only  the  loss  of  the 
Negro  troops.  The  entire  force  in  the  garrison  was  five 
hundred  and  fifty-seven,  and  at  least  three-fourths  of  it  was 
annihilated.  In  his  official  report  of  the  assault  upon  Fort 
Pillow  General  Forrest  says :  "  My  loss  in  the  engagement 
was  twenty  killed  and  sixty  wounded,  that  of  the  enemy 
unknown  ;  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  were  Juried  on 
the  evening  of  the  battle,  and  quite  a  number  were  buried 
the  next  day  by  a  detail  from  the  gunboat  fleet.  .  .  . 

"We  captured  one  hundred  and  sixty -four  Federals, 
seventy-three  Negro  troops,  and  about  forty  Negro  women 
and  children." a 

History  records,  and  the  record  will  remain  as  long  as 
the  English  language  endures,  that  at  Fort  Pillow  General 
Forrest  and  General  CJbalmers  violated  the  honor  of  a  flag 
of  truce,  the  laws  of  civilized  warfare — outraged  every 
sentiment  of  humanity,  and  dishonored  the  uniform  of  Lee 
and  Jackson,  the  Christian  soldiers  of  the  Confederacy. 
As  long  as  brave  deeds  blaze  in  the  firmament  of  national 
glory,  as  long  as  patriotism  is  revered  and  valor  honored, 
so  long  will  the  gallant  defence  of  Fort  Pillow  by  the  Ne- 
gro Spartans  be  held  in  sacred  remembrance  by  the  loyal 
friends  of  a  ransomed  and  reunited  nation. 

1  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  viii.,  Doc.,  pp.  3,  4. 
8  Ibid.,  vol.  viii.,  Doc.,  pp.  598-600. 


IN    THE   WAR  OF   THE  REBELLION.  273 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IN    THE    ARMY    OF   THE    CUMBERLAND    (1864.) 

ALTHOUGH  the  recruitment  of  Negro  soldiers  began  in 
the  early  autumn  of  1863,  ,at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  there 
was  little  disposition  to  bring  them  into  conflict  with  the 
enemy  in  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland.  The  great 
battles,  with  but  few  exceptions,  had  been  fought  while 
the  effort  to  arm  Negroes  in  this  Department  was  in  a 
tentative  form.  The  entire  effective  force  of  this  army 
was  in  the  field,  and  most  of  the  troops  were  from  the 
Border  States,  with  strong  prejudices  against  the  Negro. 
The  officers  had  little  or  no  time  to  discuss  the  fighting 
qualities  of  Negro  soldiers,  and  were  quite  willing  to  be 
relieved  of  the  question  altogether.  Major-general  Geo. 
H.  Thomas  was  inspecting  the  camp  of  the  Fourteenth 
United  States  Colored  Troops,  when  he  suddenly  turned 
to  the  colonel  of  the  regiment  and  asked,  "Will  they 
fight?"  "Yes,"  responded  Colonel  Thomas  J.  Morgan. 
"  Yes,  I  think  they  will — behind  breastworks,"  General 
Thomas  added. 

Meanwhile  the  Negro  volunteers  were  silently  and  dili- 
gently at  work  upon  the  drill-ground  and  in  the  trenches. 
Fatigue  duty  had  a  very  unhappy  effect  upon  these  troops. 
They  had  enlisted  to  fight,  not  to  be  hewers  of  wood. 
They  were  proud  of  their  uniform,  and  desired  above  all 
things  to  be  led  against  their  ancient  and  inveterate  foes. 
It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  they  should  feel  disap- 
18 


274  A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

pointed,  and   in  some  instances   doubt  the  Government 
that  had  broken  faith  with  them. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  1864,  General  Joseph  Wheeler 
attacked  the  Union  forces  in  garrison  at  Dal  ton,  Georgia. 
General  James  B.  Steed  man  was  in  command  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  the  Etowah,  with  headquarters  at  Chattanooga. 
Although  he  had  been  a  leading  Democrat  before  the  war, 
he  had  entered  the  army  as  a  patriot,  and  was  singularly 
free  from  prejudice.  Other  general  officers  had  been  ap- 
pealed to  in  vain  for  permission  to  bring  the  Negro  troops 
in  the  Department  into  conflict  with  the  enemy.  But  Gen- 
eral Steedman  promised,  as  soon  as  appealed  to,  that  if 
there  were  any  hard  fighting  to  do,  the  Negro  troops  should 
participate.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  he  heard  Wheeler's 
guns,  he  despatched  a  relief  column  to  the  beleaguered  gar- 
rison, containing  the  Fourteenth  United  States  Infantry 
(Negroes),  Colonel  T.  J.  Morgan.  The  Negro  regiment 
held  the  left  during  the  engagement,  and  behaved  nobly. 
General  Steedman  was  naturally  anxious  to  know  how 
these  ex-slaves  would  stand  fire.  His  orders  to  Captain 
Davis,  one  of  his  aides,  were  to  look  after  the  Negro  regi- 
ment and  report  how  it  was  figliting.  Under  the  brave 
and  competent  officers  of  the  Fourteenth  its  line  of  battle 
was  perfect,  and  the  firing  regular  and  effective.  Captain 
Davis  looked  on  with  amazement  at  these  Negroes  so  re- 
cently from  bondage  fighting  like  veterans.  Finally  he 
rode  back  to  General  Steedman,  and  reported  that  "  The 
regiment  is  holding  dress  parade  over  there  under  fire !" 
The  Fifty-first  Indiana  Infantry,  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight, 
which  was  not  in  love  with  the  idea  of  the  incorporation 
of  Negro  troops  in  the  army,  had  fought  on  the  right 
of  this  Negro  regiment  and  had  witnessed  its  gallantry. 
When  the  battle  was  over,  and  the  Fourteenth  Regiment 
marched  into  Dalton,  the  Fifty- first  gave  three  rousing 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  275 

cheers  for  the  "  Fourteenth  Colored,"  and  ever  after,  when 
asked  "  What  regiment  ?"  these  brave  and  generous  white 
soldiers  would  answer,  "  The  Fifty-first  Colored !"  This 
was  the  first  action  in  which  Negro  troops  of  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland  had  participated,  and  their  splendid 
bearing  had  won  the  admiration  of  the  white  soldiers. 
They  had  secured  the  confidence  of  the  army  at  a  single 
bound,  and  thenceforth  the  equality  of  comradeship  was 
recognized,  and*  greatly  contributed  to  the  military  unity 
of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  The  prejudice  that  had 
chilled  these  children  of  the  sunny  South  was  gone,  and 
they  now  felt  that  it  was  a  high  privilege  to  fight  for  the 
Stars  and  Stripes.  Those  stars  and  stripes  had  once  been 
the  symbol  of  their  degradation  under  the  lash,  but  now 
those  stars,  gleaming  with  a  peerless  lustre,  lighted  their 
future  with  the  hope  of  free  citizenship  in  a  free  repub- 
lic— to  preserve  which  they  were  enlisted  to  fight.  Just 
before  the  engagement  at  Dalton,  an  officer  observed  to 
the  men  of  his  company  that  some  of  them  would  doubt- 
less be  killed,  but  suggested  to  them  the  inspiring  idea 
that  they  were  fighting  for  liberty.  A  private  spoke  up, 
"  I  am  ready  to  die  for  liberty  1"  He  fell  on  that  field 
with  a  ball  through  his  heart,  a  willing  offering  to  the 
cause  of  Liberty. 

The  following  account  of  the  fight  appeared  in  the 
Chattanooga  Gazette  of  August  16th: 

' '  Late  last  night  we  learned  from  official  sources  the  particulars  of 
the  rebel  raid  on  the  railroad  at  Dalton,  the  fight,  and  final  repulse  of 
the  rebels. 

"The  raiders  numbered  about  five  thousand  mounted  infantry 
and  cavalry,  with  six  brass  howitzers,  commanded  by  Major-general 
Wheeler. 

"The  garrison  at  Dalton  numbered  only  about  four  hundred  men 
of  the  Second  Missouri  Volunteers,  under  Colonel  Laiboldt. 

"On  Sunday  morning  the  rebels  approached  the  town  in  line  of 


276  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

battle.  Arriving  at  a  convenient  distance  from  the  place,  Wheeler 
sent  in  a  formal  demand  for  the  surrender,  couched  in  the  following 
words : 

"  '  To  the  Officer  Commanding  U.  S.  Forces: 

"  '  To  prevent  the  unnecessary  effusion  of  blood,  I  have  the  honor 
to  demand  the  immediate  and  unconditional  surrender  of  the  forces 
under  your  command  at  this  garrison. 

(Signed)  "'  Jos.  WHEELER,  Maj.-gen., 

"  '  Commanding  Confederate  Forces.' 

"To  which  Colonel  Laiboldt  responded  in  the  following  laconic 
terms : 

"  'I  have  been  placed  here  to  defend  the  Post,  but  not  to  surrender. 
(Signed)  "'  B.  LAIBOLDT, 

" '  Colonel  commanding.' 

"  Seeing  he  was  outnumbered  ten  to  one,  Colonel  Laiboldt  with  his 
command  at  once  sought  protection  in  his  earthworks  and  in  a  large 
brick  building. 

"The  invaders  swarmed  into  the  town,  but  were  gallantly  kept  at 
bay  from  capturing  the  heroic  garrison,  who  from  behind  their  works 
mowed  down  the  rebels. 

"Yesterday  morning  at  six  o'clock  the  gallant  and  well-tried  leader, 
General  Steedman,  arrived  with  reinforcements.  Skirmishing  at  once 
commenced.  The  garrison  sallied  out  from  behind  their  earthworks. 
At  this  stage  the  Fourteenth  United  States  Colored  Infantry,  who  were 
commanded  by  Colonel  Morgan,  were  ordered  to  charge.  With  a  yell 
and  a  rush  that  were  irresistible,  they  charged  the  chivalry,  who  turned 
tail  and  fled  in  the  utmost  confusion.  Words  are  inadequate  to  de- 
scribe the  gallantry  and  impetuosity  of  the  Colored  troops  on  this 
occasion. 

"The  entire  Union  loss  is  between  thirty  and  forty,  the  rebel  loss 
one  hundred  and  fifty." 

Having  earned  a  reputation  for  steady  and  gallant 
fighting,  the  Fourteenth  was  despatched  in  pursuit  of 
the  routed  and  decimated  columns  of  General  "Wheeler 
through  East  and  Middle  Tennessee.  On  the  march  and 
in  camp  they  exhibited  the  highest  soldierly  qualities,  and 
displayed  enthusiasm  that  their  white  comrades  could  not 
comprehend. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         277 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1864,  this  regiment  joined 
General  Rousseau's  command  at  Pulaski,  Tennessee,  where 
it  participated  in  an  action  against  the  enemy  under  Gen- 
eral Forrest.  Rousseau  had  been  driven  all  day,  and  his 
cavalry  was  about  exhausted;  but  when  Forrest  met  the 
steady  and  effective  fire  of  the  two  Negro  regiments  which 
Colonel  T.  J.  Morgan  had  brought  from  Nashville,  he  re- 
coiled. These  were  the  Fourteenth,  Colonel  Morgan's 
regiment,  and  the  Sixteenth,  Colonel  William  B.  Gaw. 
Colonel  Morgan  gives  the  following  account  of  this  en- 
gagement : 

"  Colored  troops  and  Forrest's  cavalry  now  confronted 
each  other,  and  a  brisk  fire  was  being  kept  up  between 
them.  Several  of  our  men  had  been  wounded.  The  en- 
emy advanced ;  the  fire  grew  hotter.  At  length  the  ene- 
my, in  full  force,  with  banners  flying,  was  plainly  seen 
from  our  position  on  the  ridge,  advancing  directly  upon 
us.  I  passed  along  the  line,  and  pointing  to  the  rebel  lines, 
said, '  Boys,  it  looks  very  much  like  fight.  Keep  cool,  do 
your  duty.'  I  was  answered  all  along  the  line  from  the 
men  most  cheerfully,  '  Colonel,  dey  can't  whip  us ;'  '  Dey 
neber  dribe  de  ole  Fourteenth  out  ob  dis ;'  '  Dey  neber 
will  git  de  ole  Fourteenth  away  widout  a  mighty  lot  ob 
dead  men,'  etc.,  etc.  The  enemy  came  on  until  within 
good  range  of  the  skirmish  line,  from  which  he  received  a 
severe  steady  fire.  The  line  remained  unshaken.  The  en- 
emy halted,  then  withdrew,  and  night  came  on." 

Two  days  before  the  engagement  at  Pulaski,  Wheeler 
had  summoned  the  Union  garrison  at  Johnsonville,  Ten- 
nessee, but  the  Thirteenth  Infantry  (colored),  Colonel 
John  A.  Hottenstein,  drove  the  enemy,  inflicting  upon  him 
severe  punishment.  Johnsonville  was  a  military  entrepot, 
situate  at  the  end  of  the  North-western  Railroad,  extend- 
ing to  Nashville,  and  upon  the  bank  of  the  Tennessee 


278  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

Kiver.  The  enemy  desired  to  occupy  this  position  and 
possess  himself  of  the  stores,  and  made  an  impetuous  at- 
tack. 

When  General  Sherman  led  his  army  against  Atlanta, 
Georgia,  and  began  his  march  to  the  sea,  General  Hood 
with  a  considerable  army  decided  to  move  against  General 
Thomas,  and  destroy  him  by  a  turning  movement.  Gen- 
eral Grant  believed,  as  early  as  the  first  week  in  October, 
1864,  that  if  Sherman  began  his  march  to  the  sea,  Hood, 
instead  of  following  him,  would  turn  his  veteran  columns 
northward.  Sherman  thought  Hood  would  follow  him  to 
the  sea.  Grant  desired  Sherman  to  turn  suddenly  and  an- 
nihilate Hood,  and  then  march  to  the  seaboard  ;  but  if  he 
could  not  do  this,  to  cut  the  Confederate  army  in  twain 
and  destroy  it  in  detail.  The  following  despatch  shows 
how  clear-headed  he  was : 

"  City  Point,  Virginia,  October  11, 1864—11  A.M. 

"Your  despatch  of  October  10th  received.  Does  it  not  look  as  if 
Hood  was  going  to  attempt  the  invasion  of  Middle  Tennessee,  using 
the  Mobile  and  Ohio,  and  Memphis  and  Charleston  roads  to  supply 
his  base  on  the  Tennessee  River,  about  Florence  or  Decatur?  If  he 
does  this  he  ought  to  be  met  and  prevented  from  getting  north  of  the 
Tennessee  River.  If  you  were  to  cut  loose,  I  do  not  believe  you  would 
meet  Hood's  army,  but  would  be  bushwhacked  by  all  the  old  men  and 
little  boys,  and  such  railroad  guards  as  are  still  left  at  home.  Hood 
would  probably  strike  for  Nashville,  thinking  that  by  going  north  he 
could  inflict  greater  damage  upon  us  than  we  could  upon  the  rebels 
by  going  south.  If  there  is  any  way  of  getting  at  Hood's  army  I  would 
prefer  that;  but  I  must  trust  to  your  own  judgment.  I  find  I  shall  not 
be  able  to  send  a  force  from  here  to  act  with  you  on  Savannah.  Your 
movements,  therefore,  will  be  independent  of  mine;  at  least,  until  the 
fall  of  Richmond  takes  place.  I  am  afraid  Thomas,  with  such  lines  of 
road  as  he  has  to  protect,  could  not  prevent  Hood  from  going  north. 
With  Wilson  turned  loose,  with  all  your  cavalry,  you  will  find  the  reb- 
els put  much  more  on  the  defensive  than  heretofore. 

"U.  S.  GRANT,  Lieutenant-general. 

"Major-general  W.  T.  SHERMAN." 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         279 

Sherman  sent  the  following  despatch  to  hi&  chief  the 
same  day : 

"  Kingston,  Georgia,.  October  llth — 11  A.M. 

"Hood  moved  his  army  from  Palmetto  Station  across  by  Dallas 
and  Cedartown,  and  is  now  on  the  Coosa  River,  south  of  Rome.  He 
threw  one  corps  on  my  road  at  Acworth,  and  I  was  forced  to  follow. 
I  hold  Atlanta  with  the  Twentieth  Corps,  and  have  strong  detachments 
along  my  line.  This  reduces  my  active  force  to  a  comparatively  small 
army.  We  cannot  remain  here  on  the  defensive.  With  the  twenty- 
five  thousand  men  and  the  bold  cavalry  he  has,  he  can  constantly 
break  my  roads.  1  would  infinitely  prefer  to  make  a  wreck  of  the 
road,  and  of  the  country  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  including  the 
latter  city,  send  back  all  my  wounded  and  worthless,  and,  with  my 
effective  army,  move  through  Georgia,  smashing  things,  to  the  sea. 
Hood  may  turn  into  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  but  I  believe  he  will  be 
forced  to  follow  me.  Instead  of  my  being  on  the  defensive,  I  would 
be  on  the  offensive;  instead  of  guessing  at  what  he  means  to  do,  he 
would  have  to  guess  at  my  plans.  The  difference  in  war  is  full  twen- 
ty-five per  cent.  I  can  make  Savannah,  Charleston,  or  the  mouth  of 
the  Chattahoochee. 

"Answer  quick,  as  I  know  we  will  not  have  the  telegraph  long. 

"  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-general. 
"Lieutenant-general  GRANT." 

Near  midnight  Grant  sent  Sherman  permission  to  march 
to  the  sea  in  the  following  brief  but  explicit  despatch : 

"  City  Point,  Virginia,  October  11, 1864—11.30  P.M. 
"  Your  despatch  of  to-day  received.     If  you  are  satisfied  the  trip  to 
the  sea-coast  can  be  made,  holding  the  line  of  the  Tennessee  River 
firmly,  you  may  make  it,  destroying  all  the  railroad  south  of  Dalton  or 
Chattanooga,  as  you  think  best.  U.  S.  GRANT, 

"Lieutenant-general. 
"Major-general  W.  T.  SHERMAN." 

While  Sherman  was  preparing  to  cut  loose  from  At- 
lanta, Georgia,  Hood  sent  a  considerable  force  against  the 
garrison  at  Decatur,  Alabama.  This  place  was  held  by 
General  R.  S.  Granger,  and  the  assault  was  the  first  of  a 
series  of  movements  having  the  reduction  of  Nashville  in 
view.  Grant  had  rightly  anticipated  the  movements  of 


280  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Hood's  army.  Hood  delivered  battle  at  Decatur  on  the 
26thl  of  October,  1864,  and  supposing  the  place  could  be 
easily  carried,  he  turned  with  his  main  force  towards  Court- 
land.  He  forced  a  passage  of  the  Tennessee  River  at 
Florence,  where  he  halted  to  hear  of  the  capture  of  De- 
catur. He  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  Major-gen- 
eral James  B.  Steedman,  who  had  learned  to  trust  in  the 
valor  of  Negro  troops,  hearing  of  the  investment  of  De- 
catur, despatched  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Negro  In- 
fantry, Colonel  Morgan,  from  Stevenson  to  relieve  Gran- 
ger. At  12  M.  on  the  28th  General  Granger  ordered  eight 
companies  of  the  Fourteenth,  under  Colonel  Morgan,  to 
take  a  battery  of  the  enemy  that  had  been  very  trouble- 
some. It  was  a  splendid  compliment  to  the  gallantry  of 
this  Negro  regiment  that  it  was  ordered  to  this  hazardous 
task,  while  thousands  of  white  troops  were  within  the  earth- 
works. The  storming  column  was  formed  at  a  distance  of 
seven  hundred  and  eighty  yards  from  the  enemy's  line, 
having  moved  under  cover  of  the  river  bank  until  Gran- 
ger's rifle-pits  were  passed.  Flankers  were  thrown  out, 
files  were  distributed  for  spiking  the  guns  when  taken; 
Colonel  Morgan  addressed  the  men  upon  the  importance 
of  taking  the  battery  if  only  ten  men  survived  ;  the  colors 
were  unfurled,  and  the  order,  "Forward,  double-quick, 
march !"  given,  and  the  men  moved  forward  to  their  work 
with  enthusiasm.  As  soon  as  the  assaulting  column  dis- 
closed itself  upon  the  crest  of  a  hill  in  front  of  the  battery 
the  enemy  delivered  a  severe  fire.  The  column  swept  on, 
maintaining  a  perfect  line,  determined  to  carry  the  works 
with  the  bayonet.  It  was  an  unique  spectacle  as  the  white 
troops  gazed  in  breathless  awe  at  this  Negro  regiment 
charging  a  Confederate  battery  at  a  right  shoulder  shift 

1  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  xi.,  Doc.,  p.  344. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.     ,    281 

arms,  without  firing  a  shot !  In  less  than  fifteen  minutes 
the  assaulting  column  had  charged  over  the  enemy's  works, 
taken  the  guns,  and  spiked  them,  making  prisoners,  and 
planting  their  colors  over  their  undisputed  trophies.  This 
gallant  feat  thrilled  the  hearts  of  the  white  troops  who 
had  been  passive  lookers-on,  and  they  made  the  country 
ring  with  hearty  cheers. 

This  daring  but  successful  movement  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  enemy,  who  was  in  large  force  towards 
Courtland.  Several  regiments  were  despatched  to  retake 
the  captured  guns.  Captain  H.  Romeyn,  of  the  Four- 
teenth, had  discovered  from  the  opposite  bank  of  the  riv- 
er that  the  enemy  was  preparing  to  flank  Colonel  Mor- 
gan's force,  and  finding  also  that  the  colonel  was  about 
to  pursue  the  enemy,  he  rode  at  high  speed  and  great  peril 
to  prevent  the  daring  pursuit.  Although  Colonel  Morgan 
was  unable  to  remove  the  captured  guns  from  the  field,  he 
spiked  and  dismantled  them,  and  with  colors  floating,  re- 
tired to  Decatur  and  marched  into  the  Union  earthworks. 
The  white  troops  who  had  witnessed  the  gallantry  of  this 
Negro  regiment  cheered  it  during  the  return  march,  and 
as  a  part  of  the  garrison  at  Decatur,  it  was  afterwards 
treated  with  distinguished  consideration. 

Four  officers  and  sixty  men  were  killed,  wounded,  and 
missing  in  the  assault ;  but  this  was  the  price  of  a  good 
reputation  for  the  Negro  volunteer  in  the  Department 
of  the  Cumberland.1  In  General  Orders  No.  50,  dated 
November  23, 1864,  Colonel  Morgan  said : 

"  The  colonel  commanding  desires  to  express  to  the  offi- 
cers and  men  of  the  Fourteenth  United  States  Colored 
Infantry  his  entire  satisfaction  with  their  conduct  during 


1  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  xi.,  p.  862;  also  "The  American  Con- 
flict," vol.  ii.,  p.  679. 


282 

the  27th,  28th,  29th,  and  30th  days  of  October,  in  the  de- 
fence of  Decatur,  Alabama.  On  the  march,  on  the  skir- 
mish line,  in  the  charge,  they  proved  themselves  soldiers. 
Their  conduct  has  gained  for  the  regiment  an  enviable 
reputation  in  the  Western  army." 

Hood  had  succeeded  in  getting  his  army  into  position 
in  front  of  Nashville.  It  consisted  of  three  corps  under 
Lieutenant-generals  S.  D.  Lee  and  A.  P.  Stewart,  and  Ma- 
jor-general B.  F.  Cheatham.  These  corps  were  composed 
of  three  divisions  each.  The  infantry  force  exceeded 
40,000,  the  cavalry  was  12,000,  and,  with  the  artillery, 
Hood's  army  was  about  55,000  men  of  all  arms.  On  the 
other  hand,  Thomas  was  in  command  of  the  small  force 
which  Sherman  had  left  behind  when  he  started  on  his 
march  to  the  seaboard,  consisting  of  the  Fourth  Corps, 
General  Stanley,  12,000  men;  the  Twenty-third  Corps, 
General  Schofield,  10,000  men ;  and  a  cavalry  force  of 
8,000  men  under  Generals  Hatch,  Croxton,  and  Capron — 
in  all  30,000  men. 

If  Hood  should  pursue  Sherman,  Thomas  was  instructed 
to  follow  persistently,  but  prudently ;  but  in  case  he  should 
turn  into  Tennessee,  he  was  to  fall  upon  him  and  annihi- 
late him.  Thomas  was  given  plenary  powers,  and  was  ex- 
pected to  engage  Hood  as  soon  as  he  could  concentrate 
his  troops ;  but  he  did  not  intend  to  risk  too  much  in  the 
open  field.  On  the  12th  of  November,  1864,  Sherman 
moved  out  from  Cartersville,  Georgia,  and  Hood  turned 
to  feel  for  Thomas's  flank.  Without  abandoning  impor- 
tant garrisons,  Thomas  began  to  contract  his  lines,  extend- 
ing over  a  vast  territory,  evidently  intending  to  impose 
upon  Hood  the  necessity  of  striking  at  him  over  the  strong 
works  at  Nashville.  Hood  declined  this  perilous  initiative, 
as  will  be  seen ;  he  preferred  to  strike  the  fragments  of 
Thomas's  recoiling  columns  as  they  were  falling  back  to 


IN  THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  283 

Nashville.  He  finally  overtook  Schofield  at  Franklin, 
Tennessee,  and  charged  him  with  such  impetuosity  that 
his  works  were  carried  and  his  centre  pierced.  But  the 
gallantry  of  Opdycke's  brigade  closed  the  breach  and  re- 
gained the  lost  works. 

Schofield  retired  across  the  Harpeth  and  joined  Thomas 
at  Nashville. 

By  the  2d  of  December,  1864,  Hood's  entire  army  had 
reached  Thomas's  front,  and  was  reorganized.  Earthworks 
were  constructed,  siege-guns  mounted,  and  every  prepara- 
tion made  to  remain  under  cover  and  invite  Thomas  to 
the  onset. 

It  is  true  that  Hood's  army  was  not  very  large,  but  it 
was  composed  of  well-seasoned  veterans :  men  who  were 
now  on  their  native  soil,  and  were  ready  to  fight  to  the 
death  for  their  homes.  Moreover,  Hood  had  told  his  army 
at  Franklin  that  if  he  could  break  the  Union  lines  there 
was  nothing  to  obstruct  his  march  to  the  Ohio  River.  It 
was  certain,  therefore,  that  it  would  require  the  most  des- 
perate fighting  to  drive  the  enemy  from  Nashville  and  ex- 
pel him  from  Tennessee. 

General  Grant  had  grown  somewhat  impatient  at  Thom- 
as's apparent  inaction,  and  was  amazed  that  he  did  not 
strike  out  at  Hood  and  crush  him  at  once.  But  Thomas, 
a  brave  and  cautious  soldier,  did  not  propose  to  deliver 
battle  until  he  was  safely  ready.  Meantime  he  was  con- 
tracting his  lines  and  reorganizing  his  cavalry. 

There  were  eight  regiments  of  Negro  troops  in  the  De- 
partment of  the  Cumberland,  and  they  were  now  ordered 
to  Nashville,  where  their  courage  was  to  be  tried  against  the 
veterans  of  Hood's  army.  On  the  29th  of  November,  1864, 
Colonel  T.  J.  Morgan  assumed  command  of  the  Fourteenth, 
Lieutenant-colonel  II.  C.  Corbin ;  the  Sixteenth,  Colonel 
William  B.  Gaw ;  and  the  Forty-fourth,  Colonel  L.  John- 


284:  A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

son — all  Negro  regiments  of  infantry.  He  reached  Nash- 
ville from  Chattanooga  via  Cowan  on  December  1st ;  but 
Colonel  Lewis  Johnson,  in  command  of  the  Forty-fourth 
United  States  Negro  Infantry,  with  A  and  D  companies 
of  the  Fourteenth  Kegiment,  under  Captain  C.  W.  Baker, 
was  attacked  by  the  enemy  at  a  bridge  over  Mill  Creek. 
At  about  11  A.M.  on  the  2d  of  December,  1864,  the  as- 
sault was  made  upon  the  train  containing  Colonel  John- 
son's command.  The  artillery  fire  disabled  the  engine, 
and  the  troops  were  compelled  to  abandon  it  under  a  de- 
structive fire  from  the  enemy.  The  men  displayed  great 
coolness,  and  when  in  line  were  marched  to  Block-house 
No.  2,  but  it  was  found  to  be  occupied  by  a  detachment 
of  twenty-five  men  belonging  to  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifteenth  Ohio  Infantry.  Colonel  Johnson  deployed  his 
men  around  the  block-house,  threw  out  a  strong  skirmish 
line,  and  against  a  very  tempest  of  shells  from  three  bat- 
teries and  the  rattle  of  musketry,  he  pushed  his  way  up  a 
hill  to  the  eastward.  He  was  unable  to  carry  the  enemy's 
position  on  the  crest  of  the  hill,  where  he  was  skilfully 
serving  a  battery  with  strong  infantry  support.  He  did 
not,  however,  retire,  but  clung  gallantly  to  the  side  of  the 
hill ;  his  men  took  shelter  behind  trees  and  stumps,  and 
fought  with  marked  courage  and  coolness. 

The  artillery  slackened  towards  sunset,  and  ceased  its 
fire  at  nightfall.  The  enemy  kept  up  a  severe  musketry 
fire  all  night,  but  Colonel  Johnson's  ammunition  was  near- 
ly exhausted,  and  under  cover  of  the  friendly  darkness  he 
drew  his  command  back  to  the  block -house,  which  was 
now  in  ruins.  His  command  did  not  reply  to  the  enemy's 
fire,  and  the  remaining  four  rounds  of  ammunition  were  re- 
served for  a  final  effort.  At  3.30  A.M.  on  the  morning  of 
the  3d  of  December,  having  placed  his  wounded  in  charge 
of  Surgeon  J.  T.  Strong  and  Chaplain  Lycurgus  Railsback, 


IN  THE   WAR  OF   THE  REBELLION.  285 

of  the  Forty-fourth  Infantry,  he  determined  to  fight  his 
way  to  Nashville.  He  skirmished  slightly  with  the  ene- 
my, and  reached  Nashville  about  daylight. 

Colonel  Johnson  only  had  three  hundred  and  thirty-two 
muskets  in  this  engagement,  including  the  twenty-five  in 
the  block-house,  and  his  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  miss- 
ing was  one  hundred  and  fifteen — more  than  one-third  of 
his  entire  command.  These  Negro  troops  had  contended 
with  a  force  vastly  superior  in  numbers,  bearing  all  arms, 
and  had  successfully  repelled  desperate  assaults,  and  after 
sixteen  hours  of  hard  fighting  opened  a  way  to  Nash- 
ville. 

All  the  available  Negro  troops  in  the  Department  of 
the  Cumberland  massed  at  Nashville  were  organized  into  a 
corps.  All  doubt  as  to  the  efficiency  and  gallantry  of 
troops  of  this  character  had  disappeared  from  the  minds 
of  general  officers,  and  they  were  hailed  by  the  white  vet- 
erans of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Chickamauga  as  their 
peers.  These  troops  had  confidence  in  themselves  as  well, 
and  abounded  in  zeal  and  military  enthusiasm.  They  were 
now  confronted  by  Hood's  veteran  army,  and  perilous 
work  awaited  them. 

The  winter  just  setting  in  was  of  unusual  severity,  but 
martial  pride  raised  the  black  soldiers  above  their  suffer- 
ings. They  lived  cheerfully  in  their  light  shelter  tents, 
they  drilled  and  paraded  on  the  sleet  and  snow,  they  par- 
ticipated in  several  bold  reconnoissances,  they  executed  re- 
peated movements  on  the  enemy's  right  flank,  constructed 
breastworks,  and  participated  with  intelligent  zeal  in  all 
the  duties  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 

The  week  of  rain,  ice,  and  cold  was  over,  and  the  weath- 
er-bound armies  were  ready  for  the  impending  conflict. 
It  was  determined  that  the  "Negro  Division  "  should  open 
the  battle  of  Nashville.  On  the  night  of  the  14th  of  De- 


286  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

cember,  1864,  Colonel  T.  J.  Morgan,  commanding  the  di- 
vision of  ISTegro  troops,  was  summoned  to  the  headquar- 
ters of  General  Steed  man.  The  plan  of  the  battle  was 
explained  to  Colonel  Morgan,  and  he  was  ordered  to  open 
the  action  at  daylight.  Colonel  Morgan  was  a  gentleman 
of  education  and  marked  courage,  but  he  was  a  civilian, 
and  his  command  had  rarely  exceeded  a  regiment.  To  be 
placed  suddenly  in  command  of  a  division  was  indeed  a 
compliment  to  his  abilities  as  a  soldier,  but  it  was  a  trying 
position  for  a  modest  officer.  Colonel  Morgan  endeavored 
to  get  General  Steedman  to  inform  him  how  the  engage- 
ment should  be  opened,  but  the  stern  old  soldier  replied, 
"  To-morrow  morning,  colonel,  just  as  soon  as  you  can  see 
how  to  put  your  troops  in  motion,  I  wish  you  to  begin 
the  fight."  Colonel  Morgan  rose,  saluted,  and  bade  the 
general  good-night. 

Accompanied  by  his  adjutant,  Colonel  Morgan  repaired 
to  the  picket  line  and  made  a  tracing  of  the  enemy's  rifle- 
pits,  outlined  his  plan  of  attack,  and  issued  the  necessary 
orders  that  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  December  a  bank  of 
dense  fog  settled  down  between  the  hostile  armies,  con- 
cealing their  dispositions  and  delaying  the  assault.  At 
length  the  curtain  of  fog  was  rolled  up,  and  Morgan's 
Black  Division  marched  out  on  the  Murfreesboro  pike, 
where  the  following  disposition  was  made:  the  Four- 
teenth United  States  Colored  Troops,  under  command  of 
Lieutenant  -  colonel  H.  C.  Corbin,  was  deployed  as  skir- 
mishers ;  the  Seventeenth  and  Forty-fourth  United  States 
Colored  Troops  were  formed  in  line  of  battle,  under  com- 
mand of  Colonel  William  R.  Shafter;  one  section  of  the 
Twentieth  Indiana  Battery,  Captain  M.  A.  Osborne,  sup- 
ported by  a  battalion  of  the  Eighteenth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  Major  Lewis  D.  Joy.  Colonel  Charles 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         287 

R.  Thompson  was  in  command  of  a  brigade  composed  of 
the  Twelfth,  Thirteenth,  and  One  Hundredth  United  States 
Colored  Troops.  The  left  wing  of  the  army,  by  which  the 
assault  was  to  be  made,  was  commanded  by  Major-general 
James  B.  Steedman.  General  Thomas's  plan  of  battle 
contemplated  a  vigorous  attack  upon  the  enemy's  right 
flank,  well  knowing  that  he  would  contract  and  weaken 
his  left  flank ;  then  Wilson's  cavalry  and  General  Smith's 
corps  were  to  attack  the  enemy's  left  flank,  envelop  it,  and 
destroy  Hood's  army.  Accordingly,  at  eight  o'clock,  Cap- 
tain Osborne's  battery  opened  upon  the  enemy ;  the  skir- 
mish line  moved  forward,  driving  the  Confederate  pickets, 
and  at  length  Colonel  Morgan's  Negro  troops  assaulted 
the  enemy's  rifle-pits  and  cleared  them.  The  vigor  and 
spirit  with  which  these  troops  assaulted  the  rebels  left  no 
doubt  in  the  enemy's  mind  that  this  was  a  general  attack. 
At  the  same  time  Colonel  Charles  R.  Thompson's  brigade 
moved  across  Brown's  Creek,  between  the  Nolensville  and 
Murfreesboro  turnpikes,  and  carried  the  left  of  his  front 
line  of  works  resting  on  the  Nolensville  turnpike. 

After  gallant  and  effective  fighting  Colonel  Morgan's 
Negro  troops  were  withdrawn  and  impelled  against  an 
earthwork  east  of  the  "  Raine  house."  The  Negro  troops 
raised  a  yell  and  carried  the  works  with  the  bayonet,  get- 
ting possession  of  the  Raine  house  and  other  brick  build- 
ings adjacent,  which  were  loop-holed  and  turned  to  good 
account.  All  day  these  troops  behaved  with  great  cour- 
age. They  executed  every  movement,  obeyed  every  or- 
der, and  with  their  white  comrades  shared  the  perils 
and  glory  of  the  first  day's  battle  in  front  of  Nashville. 
Thomas  had  succeeded  in  enveloping  Hood's  left  wing, 
and  the  day's  work  was  prophetic  of  final  and  complete 
victory. 

At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  Steedman 


288  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

led  his  Negro  troops  against  the  enemy's  works  in  his 
front,  but  he  had  retired  during  the  night.  He  moved 
his  command  out  over  the  Nashville  pike,  encountering 
the  enemy's  cavalry,  which  he  gallantly  beat  off.  His 
troops  formed  a  junction  with  those  of  the  Fourth  Corps, 
General  T.  J.  Wood,  his  right  resting  on  the  railroad,  and 
his  left  extending  near  the  pike  and  covering  the  left 
wing  of  the  entire  army.  During  the  forenoon  he  had 
several  severe  conflicts  with  the  enemy  in  which  his 
troops  were  victorious. 

At  about  one  o'clock  Thomas  ordered  Steedman  and 
Wood  to  assault  the  enemy  in  his  strongly  fortified  posi- 
tion on  Overtoil  Hill.  The  troops  moved  forward  gal- 
lantly until  within  striking  distance,  when  they  attempted 
to  expel  the  enemy  from  his  cover.  Although  brilliantly 
executed,  the  charge  was  received  with  undaunted  courage, 
and  the  assailants  driven  back  by  a  storm  of  shot,  shell, 
and  musketry,  whereby  the  storming  column  sustained  se- 
vere loss.  The  troops  had  delivered  such  a  severe  blow  at 
Overton  Hill  that  the  enemy,  while  he  did  not  recoil,  con- 
tracted his  line ;  and  while  Steedman,  nothing  daunted, 
was  reforming  his  troops  to  renew  the  assault,  a  division 
of  the  Fourth  Corps,  from  the  right  of  the  Franklin  pike, 
executed  a  turning  movement  on  the  weakened  flank  of 
the  enemy,  and  Hood's  entire  line  gave  way. 

The  rout  of  the  enemy  was  complete.  The  Negro 
troops  joined  in  the  pursuit  with  zeal,  always  anxious  to 
get  within  striking  distance.  But  Hood's  veteran  army 
was  now  beaten  and  demoralized,  and  it  fled,  pursued  by 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  over  rough  roads,  through 
a  devastated  and  inhospitable  country,  over  swollen  and 
freezing  streams  and  snow-drifted  paths  in  the  mountains 
of  Tennessee.  Hood's  army  was  annihilated,  and  Negro 
troops  materially  aided  in  the  work ;  Sherman  had  no  ef- 


IN   THE   WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION. 


289 


fective  foe  in  his  rear,  and  his  path  was  open  to  the  sea- 
board. On  the  other  hand,  Lee  could  not  spare  enough 
troops  from  the  Array  of  Northern  Virginia  to  annoy 
Sherman,  but  Grant  was  now  enabled  vigorously  to  as- 
sault Lee,  to  defeat  him  in  the  field,  or  capture  him  in  the 
mountains  of  Virginia.  The  importance  of  the  battle  of 
Nashville  cannot  be  over-estimated.  It  touched  and  mod- 
ified all  the  plans  of  the  commanders  of  both  armies ;  it 
hastened  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  and  in  this  great 
achievement  a  division  of  Negro  troops  bore  a  conspicuous 
and  creditable  part.  It  will  be  seen  that  these  troops  pur- 
chased their  reputation  for  martial  valor  at  an  awful  price. 
The  following  table  exhibits  the  losses  they  sustained : 

BATTLE    OP  NASHVILLE. 


COMMAND. 

Company. 

Killed. 

Wound- 
ed. 

Miss- 
ing. 

Aggregate. 

REMARKS. 

£ 

I 

O 

I  Enlisted 
^  |  Men. 

I  |  Officers. 

1  Enlisted 
£  |  Men. 

Officers. 

Enlisted 
Men. 

first  Brigade. 
Fourteenth  U.  S.  Col'd  Troops. 
Sixteenth        "         " 
Seventeenth  "        "          " 
Eighteenth     "        "          " 
Forty-fourth  "         "           " 

Total  —  First  Brigade  

F.&S. 
A 
B 
C 
D 

20 

65 

Command- 
ed by  T.  J. 
Morgan. 

2 

14 
1 

4 

64 
5 
4 

"S 

84 
9 
4 

23 

^ 

19 

4 

114 

162 

Second  Brigade. 
Twelfth  U.  S.  Colored  Troops. 
Thirteenth  "          "            " 
One  Hundredth  U.S.  Col'd" 

Total  —  Second  Brigade  .... 

F.&S. 
A 
B 

4 

10 
51 
12 

5 
4 
5 

99 
161 
116 

114 
221 
133 

Command- 
ed by  C.  R. 
Thompson. 

1 

4 

73 

14 

376 

1 

468 

In  his  report  of  the  battle  General  Steedman  says : 
"The  larger  portion  of  these  losses,  amounting  in  the 
aggregate  to  fully  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  men  un- 
der my  command  who  were  taken  into  action,  it  will  be 
observed,  fell  upon  the  Colored  Troops.     The  severe  loss 
19 


290  A  HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

of  this  part  of  my  troops  was  in  the  brilliant  charge  on 
the  enemy's  works  on  Overton  Hill  on  Friday  afternoon. 
I  was  unable  to  discover  that  color  made  any  difference 
in  the  fighting  of  my  troops.  All,  white  and  black,  nobly 
did  their  duty  as  soldiers,  and  evinced  cheerfulness  and  res- 
olution such  as  I  have  never  seen  excelled  in  any  cam- 
paign of  the  war  in  which  I  have  borne  a  part."  ' 

1  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  xi.,  Doc.,  p.  89. 


IN   THE   WAR   OF  THE   REBELLION.  291 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    ARMY    OP    THE   JAMES  (1865). 

DURING  the  winter  of  1864r-65  twenty-five  regiments 
of  Negro  troops  were  concentrated  on  the  James  River, 
confronting  the  Confederate  capital.  With  but  few  ex- 
ceptions, those  troops  had  seen  severe  service  in  the  field. 
Many  of  them  had  been  in  spirited  conflicts  with  the  enemy 
in  Florida,  South  Carolina,  and  Yirginia,  while  quite  all  of 
them  had  attained  proficiency  in  drill  and  field  manoeuvres. 

The  presence  of  so  large  a  force  of  Negro  troops  in 
front  of  Richmond  had  a  most  salutary  effect  upon  the 
Confederate  authorities,  both  civil  and  military.  The  rep- 
utation won  by  Negro  troops  was  respected  in  both  ar- 
mies, and  the  prejudice  against  their  employment  among 
conservative  Northern  representatives  in  Congress  had  al- 
most wholly  disappeared.  Moreover,  there  was  now  a  dis- 
position in  Congress  to  make  amends  for  the  bad  treat- 
ment and  neglect  which  Negro  troops  had  suffered.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  the  31st  of  January,  1865,  a  constitutional 
amendment  prohibiting  slavery  passed  the  House  by  a 
vote  of  119  to  56.  The  news  of  this  noble  action  had  a 
splendid  effect  upon  the  Negro  troops  in  the  field ;  they 
began  to  enjoy  the  rewards  of  their  valor  as  soldiers. 

Already,  on  the  15th  of  January,  Negro  troops  had  par- 
ticipated in  the  assault  upon  and  capture  of  Fort  Fisher, 
North  Carolina. 

On  the  last  day  of  January  General  Robert  E.  Lee  was 
appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  Confederate  army. 
Among  the  many  new  features  which  he  immediately 


292  A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

sought  to  incorporate  in  his  war  policy  was  the  military 
employment  of  Negroes  by  the  Confederate  Government. 
This  recommendation  to  the  Confederate  Congress  was 
the  result  of  General  Lee's  experience.  He  had  witnessed 
the  excellent  fighting  of  Negro  troops  in  the  Union  army, 
and  entertained  no  prejudice  against  the  military  employ- 
ment of  Negroes  to  save  the  imperilled  cause  of  the  slave- 
holders' rebellion. 

On  the  28th  of  January  the  Lower  House  of  the  Con- 
federate Congress  had  resolved  to  employ  Negroes  as  sol- 
diers, but  on  the  7th  of  February  the  Senate  refused  to 
concur  in  the  action  of  the  House.  On  the  18th  of  Feb- 
ruary General  Lee  urged  his  plan  of  the  military  employ- 
ment of  Negroes,  and  on  the  20th  the  Confederate  House 
passed  a  bill  authorizing  the  employment  of  two  hundred 
thousand  Negroes  in  the  armed  service  of  the  Government, 
but  the  Senate  promptly  rejected  the  measure.  The  Ne- 
gro, who  had  been  manifestly  and  confessedly  the  cause 
of  the  war,  was  now  the  hope  of  both  Union  and  Confed- 
erate governments.  Fair  hands  that  had  been  stained  with 
the  blood  of  bondmen,  but  which  were  now  impotent  in 
disaster,  were  outstretched  to  Ethiopia.  But  "Ethiopia's 
hands  long  stretching  mightily  had  plead  with  God,"  and 
the  cause  of  the  despised  Negro  had  become  the  cause  of 
humanity  and  civilization  the  world  over. 

But  the  movement  finally  received  the  force  of  law,  as 
shown  in  the  following,  which  is  the  last  part  of  the  last 
Special  Order  issued  from  the  Adjutant  and  Inspector 
General's  Office  at  Richmond : 


"•Special  Orders  No.  78. 


"Adjutant  and  Inspector  General's  Office, 
"  Richmond,  April  1, 1865. 


"XXIX.  Lieutenant  John  L.  Co wardin,  Adjutant  Nineteenth  Bat- 
talion Virginia  Artillery,  is  hereby  relieved  from  his  present  command 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         293 

and  will  proceed  without  delay  to  Halifax  County,  Virginia,  for  the 
purpose  of  recruiting  Negro  troops,  under  the  Act  of  Congress  ap- 
proved March  13th,  and  General  Orders  No.  14,  Adjutant  and  Inspector 
General's  Office,  current  series." 

On  the  23d  of  March  the  first  company  of  Negro  State 
troops  was  mustered  into  the  Confederate  service,  and  by 
a  strange  coincidence  President  Lincoln  left  Washington 
city  to  review  his  Negro  soldiers  on  the  James  River  on 
the  same  day.  The  review  was  one  of  the  most  magnifi- 
cent military  spectacles  of  the  civil  war.  The  weather 
was  fair  and  the  atmosphere  pleasant  for  the  moving  mass- 
es of  troops.  Twenty -five  thousand  Negro  soldiers,  in 
bright,  new  uniforms,  well  drilled,  well  armed,  and  well 
officered,  passed  in  review  before  the  President,  General 
Grant,  and  the  general  officers  of  the  Army  of  the  James 
and  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  troops  were  reviewed 
between  General  William  Birney's  headquarters  and  Fort 
Harrison,  in  full  view  of  the  enemy  at  Fort  Gilmer.  The 
troops  marched  with  company  front,  with  banners  flying 
and  bands  playing.  Nearly  every  slave  State  had  its  repre- 
sentatives in  the  ranks  of  this  veteran  Negro  army,  while 
Massachusetts,  New  York,  Connecticut,  Pennsylvania,  In- 
diana, Ohio,  and  Illinois,  of  the  Northern  States,  had  regi- 
ments in  the  line.  President  Lincoln  was  deeply  moved 
at  the  sight  of  these  Negro  troops,  against  whose  employ- 
ment he  had  early  and  earnestly  protested.  Hundreds  of 
white  officers  and  thousands  of  white  soldiers  witnessed 
the  review  with  keen  interest,  and  were  loud  in  their 
praise  of  the  splendid  soldierly  bearing  of  their  Negro 
comrades  in  arms.  The  entire  review  was  highly  satisfac- 
tory, and  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the 
civil  and  military  chiefs  who  witnessed  it. 

On  the  28th  of  March  a  council  of  war  was  held  at  Gen- 
eral Grant's  headquarters  at  City  Point.  President  Lin- 


294  A   HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

coin,  Generals  Sherman,  Sheridan,  and  Ord  were  present, 
and  the  result  of  the  council  was  that  the  next  day  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  was  put  in  motion.  As  usual,  the 
South-side  Railroad  was  the  objective  point.  To  this  force 
was  added  a  portion  of  the  Army  of  the  James,  a  part  of 
the  Twenty-fourth  Corps  (Gibbon's),  and  one  division  of 
the  Twenty-fifth  Corps  (Weitzel).  The  Twenty-fifth 
army  corps  was  entirely  composed  of  Negro  troops,  and 
its  commander  was  anxious  to  lead  them  in  person  in  the 
campaign  now  to  begin.  On  the  night  of  March  27th 
these  troops  were  moved  across  the  James  and  Appomat- 
tox  rivers,  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  to  the  "  White 
House,"  where  they  rested  until  nightfall  of  the  29th. 
As  soon  as  darkness  concealed  their  movements  the  'Ne- 
gro troops  were  hurried  forward  to  assist  in  turning  the 
enemy's  left  flank.  On  the  previous  day  the  Fifth  Corps 
("Warren's)  had  been  thrown  across  Hatcher's  Run,  and 
Griffin,  followed  by  Crawford  and  Ayres,  had  encounter- 
ed the  enemy  on  Quaker  Road.  On  Friday  morning 
Sheridan's  flying  cavalry  column  joined  Birney's  Negro 
troops  in  motion.1  Warren  ordered  Griffin  to  unite  the 
divisions  of  Crawford  and  Ayres,  and,  by  a  movement  to 
the  left,  to  push  forward  to  the  White  Oak  Road.  Al- 
though Miles's  division  was  to  support  this  movement, 
the  enemy,  by  impetuous  gallantry,  hurled  the  Fifth  Corps 
back  on  the  Boydtown  road.  Having  routed  Warren's 
infantry,  the  enemy  turned  upon  his  cavalry  and  put  it  to 
flight.  But  just  in  the  moment  of  exultation  Sheridan 
appeared  at  the  head  of  his  splendid  cavalry  and  saved  the 
Fifth  Corps  from  utter  rout. 

During  the  remainder  of  Friday  a  series  of  brilliant 

1  But  while  the  entire  division  was  included  in  the  movement  but 
one  brigade  engaged  the  enemy. — G.  W.  W. 


IN   THE   WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  295 

manoeuvres  were  executed  creditable  to  military  science, 
but  not  productive  of  valuable  results.  When  all  seemed 
lost,  General  J.  L.  Chamberlain's  first  brigade  of  Griffin's 
division  of  the  Fifth  Corps  was  impelled  across  Gravelly 
Ruiyand  by  the  vigor  of  the  assault  swept  the  enemy 
from  the  field,  capturing  many  flags  and  prisoners.  The 
Fifth  Corps  bivouacked  on  the  White  Oak  road  Friday 
night,  and  the  Second  Corps  joined  it  early  Saturday  morn- 
ing, April  1st.  At  daylight  the  Fifth  Corps  moved  down 
the  Boydtown  road  until  it  joined  Sheridan's  cavalry,  when 
the  entire  force  moved  towards  Five  Forks.  It  had  been 
raining,  and  although  now  the  morning  was  fair,  the  roads 
were  heavy  and  the  marching  slow.  Birney's  Negro 
troops  were  in  the  moving  column,  eager  for  the  onset. 
The  cavalry  dashed  at  the  enemy,  and  the  infantry  moved 
steadily  to  the  conflict.  Sheridan  soon  swung  around  and 
enveloped  the  enemy's  extreme  left,  while  the  infantry, 
in  wheeling  to  the  left,  had  struck  the  enemy's  works  in 
flank.  From  ten  o'clock  Saturday  night  a  severe  cannon- 
ade was  opened  along  the  entire  lines  from  the  Appomat- 
tox  to  Hatcher's  Run.  This  was  designed  to  assist  Sheri- 
dan's turning  movement  and  hold  the  enemy  away  from 
him.  No  artillery  fire  during  the  entire  civil  war  exceed- 
ed this  in  quality  and  volume,  in  accuracy,  and  the  extent 
of  territory  over  which  it  raged.  It  was  most  effective. 
It  is  difficult  to  describe  either  the  bombardment  or  the 
feeling  it  produced.  The  night  was  dark,  the  air  damp, 
and  the  heavens  sullen  and  threatening.  Both  armies  lay 
close  together,  with  their  dead  and  wounded  numerous  and 
near,  but  neither  knew  what  would  be  the  next  move. 
Suddenly  the  entire  artillery,  siege-guns,  and  mortars  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  opened  upon  the  unsuspecting 
enemy,  and  the  earth  reeled  for  miles,  and  houses  were 
denuded  of  glass  of  every  description,  while  the  heavens 


296  A   HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

were  lighted  up  for  sixteen  miles,  and  the  two  crouching 
armies  were  uncovered  to  each  other,  like  wild  beasts  wait- 
ing for  the  fatal  leap.  The  enemy  along  his  well-con- 
structed line  of  earthworks,  where  he  had  wintered  in 
substantial  log  quarters,  was  driven  into  his  trenches  by 
the  storm  of  shell  and  shot,  while  substantial  buildings 
and  gun-carriages  were  shattered  and  demolished.  Many 
rebels  subsequently  made  prisoners  declared  that  they 
were  thrown  from  their  bunks  by  the  shock,  while  the 
Confederate  army  felt  that  the  bombardment  was  literally 
a  day  of  judgment  to  their  cause.  It  was  indeed  an  awe- 
inspiring  spectacle,  the  sublimest  and  most  awful  scene 
of  war. 

It  was  a  strange  sensation  for  the  ten  thousand  Negro 
troops  to  lie  prone  upon  the  earth  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  the  enemy,  who,  thinking  this  portion  of  the  line 
weak,  assaulted  it  with  the  energy  of  despair  about  four 
o'clock  Saturday  morning.  But  the  Negro  troops  were 
nothing  moved  by  the  impetuosity  of  the  onset  or  by  the 
"  rebel  howl "  so  terrible  in  its  shrillness.  The  rebels  were 
warmly  received,  but  sixteen  hundred  of  them  were  made 
prisoners,  while  many  were  slain,  wounded,  or  driven  back. 
But  it  was  a  grander  scene  when,  just  as  the  sun  was  ris- 
ing and  discovering  the  carnage  of  the  field,  Birney's  Ne- 
gro troops  uncovered  the  enemy's  works,  swept  through 
and  dealt  deadly  blows  upon  the  foe  as  he  fell  back  before 
the  fury  of  Ayres's  and  Griffin's  assault  farther  to  the  left. 
Within  a  few  hours  the  enemy's  right  was  doubled  up 
against  his  centre. 

The  Negro  troops,  with  their  white  comrades,  swung 
around  towards  Petersburg,  and  swept  every  fragment  of 
battle  before  them.  General  Sheridan,  the  senior  officer 
upon  the  battle-field,  cried  out  to  all  officers  who  attempt- 
ed to  communicate  with  him,  "  Smash  them  !  smash  them ! 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         297 

We  have  a  record  to  make  before  the  sun  goes  down.  I 
want  the  South-side  Railroad !"  The  daring  impetuosity 
of  his  leadership  had  a  profound  influence  upon  the  troops, 
and  they  accomplished  his  desire.  Birney's  Negro  troops 
and  Seymour's  command  cut  their  way  through  the  ene- 
my's lines  and  reached  the  South-side  Railroad,  Grant's  ob- 
jective point  for  many  months.  The  work  of  destruction 
was  wrought  with  skill  and  determination,  and  before 
the  sun  went  down  Sheridan's  troops  had  made  a  record. 
Pickett's  veteran  rebel  corps  was  caught  by  Birney's 
troops  in  their  turning  movement  and  torn  into  shreds, 
and  then  the  pierced  and  broken  rebel  wing  was  hurled 
along  inside  the  enemy's  earthworks  towards  Petersburg. 
The  orderly  retreat  of  early  morning  became  a  rout. 
A.  P.  Hill  endeavored  to  rally  his  shattered  and  deci- 
mated columns,  but  the  effort  was  as  impotent  as  Napo- 
leon's at  Waterloo  to  rally  the  Old  Guard.  The  broken 
parts  of  a  once  magnificent  army  swept  by  the  intrepid 
Hill  as  the  merest  drift-wood  of  battle.  The  tide  was  too 
strong,  and  the  red  waves  of  battle  swept  on  towards  Pe- 
tersburg, where  they  were  temporarily  checked.  The  en- 
emy endeavored  to  make  a  stand  several  times,  but  he  was 
immediately  caught  by  the  fierce  tide  of  battle  and  driven 
back.  The  path  of  this  remarkable  conflict  was  strewed 
with  the  enemy's  dead,  dying,  and  wounded,  his  disman- 
tled artillery,  disabled  wagons,  and  disheartened  stragglers. 

The  news  of  Sheridan's  victory  was  proclaimed  to  the 
army  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Petersburg,  and  the 
pulse  of  patriotism  beat  high.  The  battle  of  Five  Forks 
had  been  fought  and  won  ;  and  Sheridan  was  no  longer  a 
successful  cavalry  leader  only,  but  a  soldier  capable  of 
broad  plans  and  brilliant  execution. 

The  cannonade  doubtless  prevented  Lee  from  falling 
upon  Sheridan  in  the  night,  hurling  him  aside,  and  making 


298  A  HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

good  his  escape.  During  the  night  Grant  rectified  his 
lines  and  perfected  his  plans  for  a  final  assault  upon  the 
enemy's  lines  about  Petersburg.  The  general  engagement 
was  to  extend  from  the  Appomattox  to  Hatcher's  Run, 
with  Parke  on  the  right,  Ord  on  the  left,  and  Wright  in 
the  centre.  At  4  A.M.  Sunday  morning  the  cannonade 
slackened,  and  finally  ceased. 

Battery  B,  First  United  States  Artillery,  fired  the  sig- 
nal for  Birney's  Negro  troops  to  move  forward  to  the  as- 
sault. In  the  gray  dawn  of  the  morning  these  troops 
marched  out  of  a  grove  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  then  down 
the  hill  into  an  open  field.  Before  them  on  a  high  hill 
sat  a  large  fort  covering  the  approach  to  the  city.  The 
enemy  was  waiting  with  bated  breath  and  shotted  guns, 
and  as  the  column  dashed  up  the  hill  with  a  yell  the  fort 
gleamed  with  fire.  The  enemy's  shell  and  musketry  tore 
Birney's  ranks,  but  his  gallant  men  only  sprang  forward 
with  renewed  vigor,  and  carried  everything  before  them. 

Coming  closer  to  Petersburg,  Ord's  command,  with  Bir- 
ney  and  Gibbon,  was  met  by  stubborn  resistance  from 
two  of  the  enemy's  forts — Alexander  and  Gregg.  Fort 
Alexander  was  carried  by  desperate  fighting,  but  Fort 
Gregg  held  out  with  almost  matchless  valor.  It  was  here 
that  the  One  Hundredth  New  York  Regiment  of  infantry 
and  the  Twenty-second  United  States  Regiment  of  Negro 
infantry  generously  contended  for  the  flags  and  guns  in 
the  enemy's  possession.  The  Negro  regiment  charged 
the  fort,  and  when  under  the  guns  threw  off  caps  and  coats, 
rushed  over  the  works,  and  seized  the  guns,  hauling  them 
away  from  the  gallant  gunners  who  had  not  yet  acknowl- 
edged their  defeat.  The  One  Hundredth  New  York  had 
entered  the  fort  about  the  same  time,  and  the  black  and 
white  soldiers  contended  for  a  division  of  the  trophies 
which  they  had  so  gallantly  won.  This  fort  was  taken  at 


IN  THE  WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  299 

a  loss  of  about  five  hundred  ;  while  of  the  garrison  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  only  thirty  survived  the  action. 

In  other  portions  of  the  line  the  fighting  was  severe  but 
triumphant.  "Wilcox's  division  of  Parke's  right  had  made 
a  successful  feint  on  Fort  Steedman,  and  Hartranft's  divis- 
ion had  carried  everything  before  it,  capturing  twelve 
guns  and  eight  hundred  prisoners.  Wright's  Sixth  Corps 
charged  through  three  lines  of  abatis,  making  thousands 
of  prisoners,  and  cutting  the  Confederate  line  in  two. 

The  2d  of  April,  1865,  was  a  beautiful  day,  but  the 
bloody  events  in  and  about  Petersburg  made  it  a  day  of 
slaughter  and  destruction.  By  noonday  the  outer  lines  of 
Confederate  defences  had  been  carried  by  the  besieging 
army,  and  Grant  was  preparing  for  a  grand  assault  upon 
the  city.  Generals  Lee,  A.  P.  Hill,  and  "William  Mahone 
were  in  the  doomed  city  consulting  upon  a  plan  of  retreat 
before  it  should  be  too  late.  Grant's  army  was  thunder- 
ing at  the  very  gates.  The  noise  of  battle  grew  nearer. 
"  How  is  this,  general  ?"  asked  Lee  of  Hill ;  "  your  men 
are  giving  way."  At  Manassas,  Harper's  Ferry,  and  An- 
tietam  he  had  saved  the  day  for  the  Confederate  army, 
and  at  critical  moments,  in  his  picturesque  red  battle-shirt, 
had  struck  with  the  right  hand  of  Mars.  So  soon  as  Lee 
spoke  to  him  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  off,  accom- 
panied by  a  single  orderly,  to  reconnoitre.  In  a  wooded 
ravine  he  suddenly  came  upon  a  few  Union  soldiers.  They 
fired  their  pieces,  and  Major-general  A.  P.  Hill  fell  dead. 
He  was  a  splendid  soldier ;  but  the  old  charm  was  gone, 
and  the  once  magnificent  corps  he  had  led  on  many  vic- 
torious fields  was  now  scattered  and  flying  for  life. 

General  Lee  issued  orders  for  the  evacuation  of  Peters- 
burg and  Richmond,  and  began  preparations  to  withdraw 
his  army  to  the  mountains  about  Lynchburg.  The  first 
news  of  the  fate  of  the  Confederacy  was  conveyed  to  Jef- 


300  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

ferson  Davis  as  he  sat  in  his  accustomed  place  of  worship. 
He  read  the  note  from  Lee  with  a  dazed  look,  and  with 
blanched  countenance  and  unsteady  step  went  down  the 
aisle  and  passed  out  of  the  church.  The  Confederate  news- 
papers had  concealed  the  real  state  of  affairs,  and  had  pur- 
posely misled  the  people  as  to  the  dangers  that  threatened 
their  cause.  So,  when  the  news  of  Lee's  disaster  reached 
the  Confederate  capital,  it  fell  like  a  thunder-bolt  out  of 
a  cloudless  sky.  Amid  the  confusion  and  consternation, 
the  disorder  and  disaster,  the  panic  and  pillage,  the  rapine 
and  flames,  the  Negro  population  stood  still  to  see  the 
salvation  of  the  Lord. 

Sunday  night  Grant  put  his  army  in  readiness  and  rec- 
tified his  lines ;  but  before  the  dawn  of  Monday  morning 
the  shattered  remnant  of  Lee's  famous  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia  had  evacuated  Petersburg.  At  early  dawn  Bir- 
ney's  Negro  troops  were  led  against  Petersburg,  but  there 
was  no  enemy  to  dispute  their  entrance.  The  Negro  pop- 
ulation gave  the  black  soldiers  in  blue  a  most  cordial  wel- 
come. They  were  greeted  with  tears  and  cheers,  with 
prayers  and  praise,  with  songs  and  phrases  of  high-sound- 
ing adulation.  Many  of  the  people  rushed  to  the  side  of 
the  moving  column,  embraced  the  conquerors,  and  covered 
their  hands  with  kisses.  The  bands  of  the  Negro  regi- 
ments played  "John  Brown's  Body,"  and  thrilled  the 
Negro  populace  with  the  sentiment,  "We'll  hang  Jeff 
Davis  on  a  sour  apple  -  tree !"  The  whites  were  silent 
and  sullen ;  it  was  not  their  day,  although  it  was  mani- 
festly the  funeral  of  their  cause ;  the  year  of  jubilee  had 
come  to  the  long-benighted  bondman,  however.  Neither 
the  pride  of  the  Negro  soldier  nor  the  joy  of  the  Negro 
citizen  assumed  offensive  form ;  the  quiet  dignity  of  the 
former  and  the  Christian  humility  of  the  latter  were 
conspicuous  on  every  hand. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  301 

Two  divisions  of  Negro  troops  and  a  portion  of  the 
Twenty  -iourth  Corps  were  on  the  James  River  side  of 
the  rebel  capital  watching  Ewell.  About  two  o'clock 
Monday  morning,  April  3d,  Captain  Bruce,  of  General 
Devens's  staff,  discovered  a  bright  light  in  the  direction  of 
Richmond,  and  heard  loud  explosions.  Three  men  were 
sent  forward  to  reconnoitre,  and  within  a  few  minutes  a 
Negro  brought  the  news  that  Richmond  had  been  evac- 
uated. As  soon  as  day  broke  General  Weitzel  passed 
through  the  enemy's  deserted  works,  consisting  of  several 
lines  of  redoubts  and  bastioned  forts.  The  ground  was 
thoroughly  sowed  with  torpedoes,  and  the  troops  were 
moved  slowly.  At  length  a  cry  was  raised  in  the  main 
street  of  the  doomed  capital,  "  The  Yankees  are  coming !" 
and  confusion  reigned  among  the  citizens.  Fifty  Negro 
cavalrymen  dashed  up  to  the  Capitol,  and  Lieutenant 
Johnson  De  Peyster  hauled  the  Union  flag  to  its  place 
upon  that  edifice.  A  regiment  of  Negro  cavalry  headed 
the  Union  column  into  the  city,  and  another  regiment  of 
Negro  cavalry  was  posted  on  the  north  side  of  the  square 
about  the  Capitol  to  preserve  order  and  to  guard  the  prop- 
erty of  their  late  masters!  This  beautiful  city  had  been 
looted  and  burned  by  its  own  citizens ;  but  as  soon  as  the 
United  States  flag  floated  over  the  chaos  order  was  re- 
stored, and  every  attempt  made  to  save  property  as  well 
as  life.  The  Negro  population  behaved  well,  and  the 
black  soldiers  bore  themselves  more  like  guests  than  con- 
querors. 

It  does  not  come  within  the  scope  of  this  work  to 
describe  the  movements  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in 
this  final  and  triumphant  campaign,  except  so  far  as  the 
Negro  troops  bore  a  part.  The  temptation  is  strong  to 
describe  the  precipitous  retreat  of  Lee's  army  towards 
Burkes  ville  Junction ;  how  his  half -famished  army  strug- 


302  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

gled  over  heavy  roads  and  swollen  streams  to  reach  Amelia 
Court-house,  to  which  point  Lee  had  ordered  a  quarter  of  a 
million  of  rations ;  how  the  civil  authorities  at  Richmond 
had  ordered  the  train  that  contained  the  rations  back  to 
Richmond  without  unloading,  thus  sacrificing  the  army 
for  the  safety  of  the  politicians ;  how  Lee,  hungry  and 
faint,  was  unable  to  move  his  army,  and  how  Sheridan's 
cavalry  passed  between  Amelia  Court-house  and  Burkes- 
ville ;  how  at  Sailor's  Creek,  Sheridan,  Crook,  Custer,  and 
Devens  struck  Ewell  and  Pickett's  corps  flank  and  rear, 
capturing  five  generals,  seven  thousand  prisoners,  hun- 
dreds of  wagons,  many  guns  and  flags.  But  all  this  be- 
longs to  a  general  history  of  the  campaign. 

The  Negro  troops  in  Ord's  Army  of  the  James  had 
moved  by  the  South-side  Railroad,  and  were  hurrying  for- 
ward to  prevent  the  passage  of  Lee's  army  over  the  Ap- 
pomattox  at  Farmville.  In  all  the  conflicts  in  which  these 
troops  participated  they  bore  themselves  as  brave  soldiers, 
and  were  equal  to  every  emergency ;  and  finally,  when 
Grant  had  thrown  a  girdle  of  steel  about  Lee's  invested 
army  at  Appomattox  Court-house,  Birney's  black  troops 
were  nearest  the  enemy,  with  glinting  bayonet  and  loaded 
musket.  The  Eighth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  had  charged 
the  enemy  at  Clover  Hill,  and  had  been  repulsed ;  Gen- 
eral Doubleday  threw  his  brigade  of  Negro  troops  into 
line  of  battle  to  receive  the  enemy  if  he  should  assault 
the  Union  lines.  He  advanced  the  colors  of  the  Forty- 
first  Regiment,  and,  in  a  charge  like  a  dress -parade,  it 
cleared  the  enemy  from  its  front.  It  was  in  this  brilliant 
charge  that  the  brave  and  accomplished  soldier,  Captain 
John  W.  Falconer,  received  a  mortal  wound. 

When  an  aide-de-camp  rode  down  the  line  of  battle 
crying,  "  Cease  firing !  General  Lee  has  made  an  uncon- 
ditional surrender,"  the  Negro  troops,  who  had  been  driv- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  303 

ing  the  enemy  into  a  ravine,  discharged  their  pieces  in  the 
air,  and  gave  a  shout  of  joy  that  made  the  ground  shake. 

In  the  evening  several  Confederate  bands  serenaded  the 
Union  troops,  and  in  return  several  bands,  composed  en- 
tirely of  Negroes,  complimented  the  Confederates  with 
appropriate  music. 

After  the  Confederate  army  had  been  paroled  the  Ne- 
gro troops  cheerfully  and  cordially  divided  their  rations 
with  the  late  enemy,  and  welcomed  them  at  their  camp- 
fires  on  the  march  back  to  Petersburg.  The  sweet  gospel 
of  forgiveness  was  expressed  in  the  Negro  soldiers'  inter- 
course with  ex-rebel  soldiers,  who  freely  mingled  with  the 
black  conquerors.  It  was  a  spectacle  of  magnanimity 
never  before  witnessed  among  troops  that  had  hated  and 
actually  murdered  one  another. 


304  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


CHAPTER  XV. 

AS    PRISONERS    OF   WAR. 

THE  capture  and  treatment  of  Negro  soldiers  by  the 
enemy  is  a  subject  that  demands  dispassionate  and  judicial 
scrutiny.  No  just  judge  of  historical  events  would  seek 
to  tear  a  single  chaplet  from  the  brow  of  any  brave  sol- 
dier, it  matters  not  what  uniform  he  wore  or  what  flag  he 
fought  under.  Yalor  is  valor  the  world  over.  But  what- 
ever may  be  said  of  the  gallantry  of  Confederate  soldiers 
or  the  chivalry  of  the  South,  it  remains  true  that  the 
treatment  bestowed  upon  Union  prisoners  of  war  in  gen- 
eral, and  upon  Negroes  in  particular,  has  no  parallel  in 
the  annals  of  modern  civilized  warfare. 

Slavery  destroyed  the  Southern  conscience,  blunted  the 
sensibilities  and  affections,  and  depreciated  human  life. 
The  Confederate  army  exhibited  a  fierceness  in  battle  and 
a  cold  cruelty  to  their  prisoners  that  startled  the  civilized 
world.  Confederate  military  prisons  became  places  of 
torture  wherein  every  species  of  cruelty  was  perpetrated. 
Among  the  many  hells  erected  for  the  reception  and  re- 
tention of  Union  prisoners  Andersonville  was,  perhaps, 
the  most  notorious.  It  was  situated  on  the  South-western 
Railroad,  about  sixty-two  miles  south  of  Macon,  Georgia. 
On  the  side  of  a  hill  where  the  timber  was  thick  a  space 
'  was  cleared  for  the  prison,  in  the  form  of  a  parallelogram, 
1540  feet  long  and  750  feet  wide.  The  ground  was  of 
red  clay,  and  sloped  gently  to  the  south.  Logs  measuring 
twenty-four  feet  in  length  were  firmly  embedded  in  the 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         305 

ground,  and  closely  joined  together  all  the  way  up,  with 
the  upper  end  sharpened.  Beyond  and  outside  of  this  was 
a  lower  stockade  for  greater  security.  Within  the  main 
prison-wall,  and  thirty  feet  from  it,  a  railing  three  feet 
high,  upon  posts  ten  feet  apart,  ran  around  the  entire  pris- 
on. This  was  known  as  the  "  dead-line.''  On  the  top  of 
the  main  wall  were  thirty-five  sentry-boxes,  while  at  the 
angles  of  the  prison  stood  artillery  commanding  the  entire 
space.  For  recapturing  escaped  prisoners  a  large  pack 
of  blood-hounds  was  kept  constantly  on  hand.  There  was 
not  a  tree  or  shrub  left  in  the  entire  prison,  and  thus  the 
sun  had  full  power.  In  the  summer  the  thermometer 
registered  110°  Fahrenheit,  while  its  mean  for  the  heated 
term  was  88°  in  the  shade.  The  only  water  near  this 
prison  was  a  little  stream  five  feet  wide  and  six  inches 
deep,  that  had  its  origin  in  a  deadly,  unhealthy  swamp ; 
and  this  stream  passed  through  the  prison  grounds,  flow- 
ing from  east  to  west. 

On  the  15th  of  February,  1864,  the  first  detachment  of 
Union  prisoners  of  war,  numbering  eight  hundred  and 
sixty,  was  received.  Within  four  months  there  were 
twelve  thousand  prisoners  in  Andersonville,  and  before 
the  end  of  August  there  were  31,693 — leaving  about  thir- 
ty-six feet  for  each  man !  The  prison  was  in  use  about 
thirteen  months,  and  its  reports  show  that  during  that 
period  44,882  prisoners  were  received. 

The  prisoners  were  allowed  as  rations  each  day  two 
ounces  of  bacon  or  boiled  beef,  one  sweet  potato,  and  one 
piece  of  bread  two  and  one-half  inches  square  and  thick, 
made  of  corn  and  ground  pease. 

There  was  no  shelter  from  rain  or  sun.    Some  men  dug 

holes  in  the  ground,  where  they  remained  during  the  day, 

and  at  night  wandered  forth  under  the  open  sky,  while 

others  made  little  houses  of  sticks  and  red  clay.     When 

20 


306  A   HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

it  rained  this  vast  army  of  forlorn  captives  wandered 
about  in  mud  a  foot  deep.  "  Into  the  brook  there  flowed 
the  filth  and  excrements  of  more  than  thirty  thousand 
men.  The  banks  of  the  stream  were  covered  with  ord- 
ure, and  appeared  to  be  alive  with  working  maggots. 
Through  this  reeking  mass  wandered  about,  elbowing  and 
pushing  one  another,  the  shoeless,  hatless,  famished  cap- 
tives, many  of  them  with  scarcely  a  tatter  to  cover  them. 
.  .  .  Attracted  by  the  smell  of  this  mass  of  living  carrion, 
flocks  of  vultures — the  '  turkey-buzzards '  of  the  South — 
soared  in  the  air  over  this  den  of  human  putridity,  or, 
gorged  with  human  flesh,  sat  nodding  on  the  dead  pines 
of  the  adjacent  forest." 

The  death-rate  soon  reached  the  alarming  figures  of 
8|  per  hour,  and  of  the  M,882  incarcerated  12,462  died ; 
while  a  large  proportion  of  those  who  lived  to  get  out  of 
this  atrocious  lazar-house  died  soon  after  in  Union  hos- 
pitals or  at  home.  Those  who  died  in  the  prison  were 
piled  in  heaps  outside  of  the  stockade ;  they  were  hauled 
away  by  the  wagon-load,  cast  into  a  common  ditch  with- 
out coffins  and  covered  with  quick-lime.  If  the  dead  had 
rings  on  their  fingers,  the  axe  was  often  used  to  secure 
these  jewels. 

There  were  three  hundred  men  shot  near  the  dead-line, 
while  hundreds  were  torn  by  the  half -starved  blood-hounds 
in  attempting  to  escape.  Many  were  put  in  stocks  and 
chains  for  alleged  breaches  of  the  laws  of  the  prison,  and 
others  were  murdered  by  the  hands  of  the  keeper,  Wirz, 
who  was  subsequently  tried  by  the  United  States  authori- 
ties and  hanged. 

Not  only  physical  suffering,  but  mental  ruin,  often  re- 
sulted from  this  diabolical  prison  system,  and  men  wan- 
dered about  the  loathsome  pen  raving  maniacs.  Some 
fought  their  battles  over  again,  and  hysterically  laughed  at 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        307 

the  imaginary  foes  they  vanquished ;  some  wandered  forth 
in  delirium  to  meet  kindred,  and  were  murdered  on  the 
"  dead-line ;"  others  stood  shaking  their  shrivelled  fists  at 
the  sky  pronouncing  wild  imprecations ;  while  still  others 
drifted  in  listless  apathy  from  one  end  of  the  den  to  the 
other,  clinching  a  bone  or  dramatically  drawing  their  tat- 
tered garments  about  their  emaciated  forms. 

But  who  were  the  victims  of  this  organized  cruelty  of 
which  the  Inspector-general  of  the  Confederate  army,  Colo- 
nel Chandler,  said,  "It  is  a  place  the  horrors  of  which  it 
is  difficult  to  describe — it  is  a  disgrace  to  civilization?" 
White  officers  and  enlisted  men  from  the  North.  Many 
of  them  had  the  blood  of  revolutionary  patriots  in  their 
veins ;  some  were  from  Harvard  and  Yale,  Williams  and 
Brown ;  some  were  justly  distinguished  in  literature  and 
science;  many  were  the  sons  of  rich  men,  millionaires, 
without  food  or  raiment.  If  such  men  endured  such  hard- 
ships as  prisoners  of  war,  what  was  in  reserve  for  the 
poor  Negro  ? 

Although  the  Confederate  authorities  had  first  inaugu- 
rated the  policy  of  arming  Negroes  as  soldiers,  the  mo- 
ment the  United  States  Government  announced  its  inten- 
tion to  do  likewise  the  Rebel  Government  proscribed  the 
Negro  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  In  fact,  the  message  of  Jef- 
ferson Davis  on  the  treatment  of  Negroes  as  prisoners  of 
war  was  prior  to  any  action  on  this  matter  by  either  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  or  Congress.  The  first  Emancipation  Proc- 
lamation of  President  Lincoln,  issued  on  the  22d  of  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  a  few  days  after  the  battle  of  Antietam,  was 
rather  a  measure  of  military  policy  than  of  humanity.  It 
was  regarded  by  the  Confederate  authorities  as  contem- 
plating the  employment  of  emancipated  slaves  in  the 
armed  service  of  the  United  States.  Before  this,  on  the 
22d  of  August,  1862,  General  B.  F.  Butler,  then  in  com- 


308  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

mand  of  the  Union  forces  at  New  Orleans,  had  appealed 
to  the  free  Negro  citizens  of  Louisiana  to  rally  in  defence 
of  their  common  country ;  and  this  fact,  followed  so  soon 
by  Mr.  Lincoln's  proclamation,  imbittered  and  alarmed 
the  enemy.  The  independent  action  of  General  Butler 
was  regarded  as  indicating  the  policy  of  the  Government. 
On  the  23d  of  December,  1862,  Jefferson  Davis,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Confederate  States,  issued  the  following  proc- 
lamation, aimed  at  General  Butler  in  particular,  and  all 
Negro  soldiers  and  their  officers  in  general : 

"  First.  That  all  commissioned  officers  in  the  command  of  said  Ben- 
jamin F.  Butler  be  declared  not  entitled  to  be  considered  as  soldiers 
engaged  in  honorable  warfare,  but  as  robbers  and  criminals,  deserving 
death;  and  that  they  and  each  of  them  be,  whenever  captured,  reserved 
for  execution. 

"Second.  That  the  private  soldiers  and  non-commissioned  officers  in 
the  army  of  said  Butler  be  considered  as  only  the  instruments  used  for 
the  commission  of  crimes  perpetrated  by  his  orders,  and  not  as  free 
agents;  that  they,  therefore,  be  treated,  when  captured,  as  prisoners  of 
war,  with  kindness  and  humanity,  and  be  sent  home  on  the  usual  pa- 
role that  they  will  in  no  manner  aid  or  serve  the  United  States  in  any 
capacity  during  the  continuance  of  this  war,  unless  duly  exchanged. 

"Third.  That  all  Negro  slaves  captured  in  arms  be  at  once  delivered 
over  to  the  executive  authorities  of  the  respective  States  to  which  they 
belong,  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  of  said  States. 

"Fourth.  That  the  like  orders  be  executed  in  all  cases  with  respect 
to  all  commissioned  officers  of  the  United  States,  when  found  serving 
in  company  with  said  slaves  in  insurrection  against  the  authorities  of 
the  different  States  of  this  Confederacy. 

"  [Signed  and  sealed  at  Richmond,  December  23, 1862.] 

"JEFFERSON  DAVIS." 

This  message  was  laid  before  the  Confederate  Congress, 
and  on  the  12th  of  January,  1863,  the  following  action 
was  had : 

"  Resolved,  by  the  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America,  in 
response  to  the  message  of  the  President,  transmitted  to  Congress  at 
the  commencement  of  the  present  session,  That,  in  the  opinion  of  Con- 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  309 

gress,  the  commissioned  officers  of  the  enemy  ought  not  to  be  delivered 
to  the  authorities  of  the  respective  States,  as  suggested  in  the  said  mes- 
sage, but  all  captives  taken  by  the  Confederate  forces  ought  to  be 
dealt  with  and  disposed  of  by  the  Confederate  Government. 

"SEC.  2.  That,  in  the  judgment  of  Congress,  the  proclamation  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  dated  respectively  September  22, 
1862,  and  January  1,  1863,  and  the  other  measures  of  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  and  of  its  authorities,  commanders,  and  forces, 
designed  or  tending  to  emancipate  slaves  in  the  Confederate  States,  or 
to  abduct  such  slaves,  or  to  incite  them  to  insurrection,  or  to  employ 
Negroes  in  war  against  the  Confederate  States,  or  to  overthrow  the  in- 
stitution of  African  slavery,  and  bring  on  a  servile  war  in  these  States, 
would,  if  successful,  produce  atrocious  consequences,  and  they  are  in- 
consistent with  the  spirit  of  those  usages  which,  in  modern  warfare, 
prevail  among  civilized  nations;  they  may,  therefore,  be  properly  and 
lawfully  repressed  by  retaliation. 

"SEC.  3.  That  in  every  case  wherein,  during  the  present  war,  any 
violation  of  the  laws  of  war,  among  civilized  nations,  shall  be,  or  has 
been,  done  and  perpetrated  by  those  acting  under  the  authority  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  on  the  persons  or  property  of  citi- 
zens of  the  Confederate  States,  or  of  those  under  the  protection  or  in 
the  land  or  naval  service  of  the  Confederate  States,  or  of  any  State  of 
the  Confederacy,  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States  is  hereby  au- 
thorized to  cause  full  and  ample  retaliation  to  be  made  for  every  such 
violation,  in  such  manner  and  to  such  extent  as  he  may  think  proper. 

"  SEC.  4.  That  every  white  person,  being  a  commissioned  officer,  or 
acting  as  such,  who,  during  the  present  war,  shall  command  Negroes 
or  mulattoes  in  arms  against  the  Confederate  States,  or  who  shall  arm, 
train,  organize,  or  prepare  Negroes  or  mulattoes  for  military  service 
against  the  Confederate  States,  or  who  shall  voluntarily  aid  Negroes 
or  mulattoes  in  any  military  enterprise,  attack,  or  conflict  in  such  serv- 
ice, shall  be  deemed  as  inciting  servile  insurrection,  and  shall,  if  capt- 
ured, be  put  to  death,  or  be  otherwise  punished  at  the  discretion  of 
the  Court. 

"SEC.  5.  Every  person,  being  a  commissioned  officer,  or  acting  as 
such  in  the  service  of  the  enemy,  who  shall,  during  the  present  war, 
excite,  attempt  to  excite,  or  cause  to  be  excited,  a  servile  insurrection, 
or  shall  incite,  or  cause  to  be  incited,  a  slave  or  rebel,  shall,  if  captured, 
be  put  to  death,  or  be  otherwise  punished  at  the  discretion  of  the 
Court. 

"  SEC.  6.  Every  person  charged  with  an  offence  punishable  under 
the  preceding  resolutions  shall,  during  the  present  war,  be  tried  before 


310  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

the  military  court  attached  to  the  army  or  corps  by  the  troops  of  which 
he  shall  have  been  captured,  or  by  such  other  military  court  as  the 
President  may  direct,  and  in  such  manner  and  under  such  regulations 
as  the  President  shall  prescribe;  and,  after  conviction,  the  President 
may  commute  the  punishment  in  such  manner  and  on  such  terms  as 
he  may  deem  proper. 

"  SEC.  7.  All  Negroes  and  mulattoes  who  shall  be  engaged  in  war, 
or  be  taken  in  arms  against  the  Confederate  States,  or  shall  give  aid 
or  comfort  to  the  enemies  of  the  Confederate  States,  shall,  when  capt- 
ured in  the  Confederate  States,  be  delivered  to  the  authorities  of  the 
State  or  States  in  which  they  shall  be  captured,  to  be  dealt  with  accord- 
ing to  the  present  or  future  laws  of  such  State  or  States." 

This  document  is  cited  in  full  that  the  official  record 
may  be  before  the  reader.  Several  points  in  it  deserve 
special  consideration.  The  Confederate  Congress  was  un- 
willing, on  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Davis,  to  allow  the 
prisoners  which  their  army  might  take  to  pass  into  the  con- 
trol of  the  several  Confederate  States.  While  devoted  to 
"  State  Rights,"  for  once  the  sovereign  Confederate  Gov- 
ernment raised  its  majestic  voice  and  demanded  possession 
of  Union  prisoners.  The  several  States  could  be  trusted 
in  everything  but  the  delicate  matter  of  dealing  with 
Union  prisoners  of  war.  Congress  did  not  hesitate  to 
take  issue  with  President  Davis.  The  civil  and  criminal 
law  of  the  States  in  ante-bellum  days  had  always  been  re- 
garded as  adequate  to  deal  with  Abolitionists,  Negroes, 
and  other  criminals ;  but  when  those  laws  were  to  be  ap- 
plied to  Union  prisoners  of  war  their  efficiency  was  called 
in  question,  and  the  Confederacy  now  conferred  upon  the 
States  authority  to  make  new  laws  upon  the  subject.  The 
high  prerogative  of  murdering  Union  prisoners  having 
not  been  delegated  to  the  States,  was  reserved  to  the  Con- 
federate Congress. 

Just  where,  when,  and  in  what  manner  the  United 
States  ever  violated  "  the  laws  or  usages  of  war  among 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  311 

civilized  nations  "  is  not  clear.  Certainly  there  is  no  rec- 
ord of  any  such  violation.  But  of  this  the  Confederate 
Government  determined  to  be  the  sole  judge  of  what  con- 
stituted a  violation  of  "  the  laws  or  usages  of  war ;"  and 
from  its  judgment  there  was  no  appeal. 

Brave  white  officers,  the  laurelled  leaders  of  gallant  Ne- 
gro soldiers,  were  marked  for  a  felon's  death.  The  mili- 
tary employment  of  slaves  by  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment was  justified  by  historical  precedents  ancient  and 
modern,  Christian  and  pagan ;  and  last,  if  least,  it  had  be- 
fore it  the  example  of  the  Confederate  Government  al- 
ready alluded  to.  Consequently  the  murdering  of  officers 
who  belonged  to  organizations  composed  of  Negroes  was 
"  a  most  flagrant  violation  of  the  laws  or  usages  of  war 
among  civilized  nations."  It  had  become  manifest  that 
either  "the  institution  of  African  slavery"  or  the  free 
institutions  of  the  American  Union  must  perish,  and  there- 
fore the  United  States  Government  was  justified  in  using 
the  Negro  as  a  military  instrument  in  preserving  the  au- 
tonomy of  the  States,  and  in  securing  the  freedom  of 
the  slaves. 

The  proclamation  of  Mr.  Davis  and  the  subsequent  leg- 
islative action  of  the  Confederate  Congress  aroused  the 
attention  and  stirred  the  indignation  of  the  friends  of  hu- 
manity everywhere.  On  the  14th  of  April,  1863,  the  New 
York  Tribune  said,  editorially,  "At  all  events,  the  policy 
of  the  Government  to  employ  Black  Troops  in  active  serv- 
ice is  definitely  established,  and  it  becomes — as  indeed  it 
has  been  for  months — a  very  serious  question  what  steps 
are  to  be  taken  for  their  protection.  "The  Proclamation 
of  Jefferson  Davis  remains  unrevoked.  By  it  he  threat- 
ened death  or  slavery  to  every  Negro  taken  in  arms,  and 
to  their  white  officers  the  same  fate.  What  is  the  response 
of  our  Government  ?  Hitherto,  silence.  The  number  of 


312  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

Negroes  in  its  service  has  already  increased ;  in  South 
Carolina  they  have  already  been  mustered  into  regiments 
by  a  sweeping  conscription,  and  now  in  the  West  appar- 
ently the  same  policy  is  adopted  and  rigorously  enforced." 

In  reply  to  the  pertinent  and  humane  sentiments  of 
Horace  Greeley  and  other  leaders  of  public  sentiment  at 
the  North,  the  Richmond  Examiner,  speaking  for  the 
Confederate  Government,  said,  "  It  is  not  merely  the  pre- 
tension of  a  regular  Government  affecting  to  deal  with 
'  Rebels,'  but  it  is  a  deadly  stab  which  they  are  aiming  at 
our  institutions  themselves,  because  they  know  that,  if  we 
were  insane  enough  to  yield  this  point,  to  treat  Black  men 
as  the  equals  of  White,  and  insurgent  slaves  as  equivalent 
to  our  brave  soldiers,  the  very  foundation  of  Slavery 
would  be  fatally  wounded." 

A  few  bold  and  conscientious  Southern  newspapers 
urged  that  the  Confederate  Government  had  no  authority 
to  proscribe  Union  soldiers  on  account  of  color,  and  clear- 
ly pointed  out  the  dangers  that  such  a  course  as  the  Gov- 
ernment had  marked  out  would  invite.  The  Confederate 
Government  adhered  to  its  views,  and  its  army  in  the  field 
carried  out  its  policy  with  zeal  and  cruelty. 

The  Confederate  army  at  Port  Hudson  would  not  per- 
mit a  flag  of  truce  to  bury  the  brave  black  soldiers  who 
fell  in  the  memorable  engagement  in  May,  1863.  In  the 
spring  and  summer  of  1863  a  number  of  Negro  soldiers 
were  made  prisoners  in  their  conflicts  with  the  enemy, 
and  were  subjected  to  barbarous  treatment.  When  an  ex- 
change of  prisoners  took  place  in  front  of  Charleston,  al- 
though the  rebels  held  many  Negro  prisoners,  they  gave 
up  none  but  white  soldiers.  When  this  fact  was  brought 
to  the  attention  of  commissioners  for  the  exchange  of 
prisoners  on  behalf  of  the  Confederate  Government,  they 
explained  that  it  was  against  the  law  of  their  Government 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  313 

to  exchange  Negro  prisoners.     This  statement  aroused  the 
North,  and  President  Lincoln  issued  the  following  order : 

"Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  July  30, 1863. 

"It  is  the  duty  of  every  government  to  give  protection  to  its  citi- 
zens of  whatever  class,  color,  or  condition,  and  especially  to  those  who 
are  duly  organized  as  soldiers  in  the  public  service.  The  law  of  na- 
tions, and  the  usages  and  customs  of  war,  as  carried  on  by  civilized 
powers,  permit  no  distinction  as  to  color  in  the  treatment  of  prisoners 
of  war  as  public  enemies.  To  sell  or  enslave  any  captured  person,  on 
account  of  his  color,  and  for  no  offence  against  the  laws  of  war,  is  a  re- 
lapse into  barbarism,  and  a  crime  against  the  civilization  of  the  age. 

"The  Government  of  the  United  States  will  give  the  same  protection 
to  all  its  soldiers;  and  if  the  enemy  shall  sell  or  enslave  any  one  be- 
cause of  his  color,  the  offence  shall  be  punished  by  retaliation  upon 
the  enemy's  prisoners  in  our  possession. 

"  It  is  therefore  ordered  that,  for  every  soldier  of  the  United  States 
killed  in  violation  of  the  laws  of  war,  a  Rebel  soldier  shall  be  executed ; 
and  for  every  one  enslaved  by  the  enemy  or  sold  into  Slavery,  a  Rebel 
soldier  shall  be  placed  at  hard  labor  on  public  works,  and  continued  at 
such  labor  until  the  other  shall  be  released  and  receive  the  treatment 
due  to  a  prisoner  of  war.  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

"By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

"E.  D.  TOWNSEND, 

"Assistant  Adjutant-general." 

On  the  12th  of  August,  1863,  the  Charleston  Mercury, 
an  able  and  conservative  journal,  called  attention  to  the 
severe  treatment  of  Negro  prisoners  of  war.  The  humane 
sentiments  expressed  appealed  strongly  to  the  general  offi- 
cers of  the  Confederate  army.  General  Beauregard  felt 
that  the  criticism  applied  to  him.  It  was  certainly  a  case 
of  conscience,  for  he  had  sent  the  following  despatch  the 
year  before  which  lowered  him  from  the  honorable  posi- 
tion of  a  general  and  branded  him  forever  as  a  murderer : 

"Charleston,  South  Carolina,  October  13, 1862. 
"Hon.  Wm.  P.  Miles,  Richmond,  Virginia: 

"  Has  the  bill  for  the  execution  of  Abolition  prisoners  after  January 
next  been  passed?  Do  it,  and  England  will  be  stirred  into  action!  It 


314:  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

is  high  time  to  proclaim  the  black  flag  after  that  period.    Let  the  exe- 
cution be  with  the  garrote. 

(Signed)  "  G.  T.  BEAUREGARD.  " 

Previous  to  this,  on  the  3d  of  August,  1862,  General 
Beauregard  wrote  to  General  Wm.  E.  Martin  from  Bladen, 
Alabama,  as  follows : 

"We  will  yet  have  to  come  to  proclaiming  this  war  ' a  war  to  the 
knife/  when  no  quarter  will  be  asked  or  granted.  I  believe  it  is  the 
only  thing  which  can  prevent  recruiting  at  the  North.  As  to  our- 
selves, I  think  that  very  few  will  not  admit  that  death  is  preferable  to 
dishonor  and  ruin." l 

His  chief  of  staff  sent  the  following  letter  to  the  Mer- 
cury : 

"  Headquarters  Department  of  S.  C.,  Ga.,  and  Fla., 

"  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  August  12, 1863. 
"  Colonel  R.  B.  Rhett,  Jr.,  Editor  of  'Mercury :' 

"In  the  Mercury  of  this  date  you  appear  to  have  written  under  a 
misapprehension  of  the  facts  connected  with  the  present  status  of  the 
Negroes  captured  in  arms  on  Morris  and  James  islands,  which  permit 
me  to  state  as  follows: 

"The  Proclamation  of  the  President,  dated  December  24, 1862,  di- 
rected that  all  Negro  slaves  captured  in  arms  should  be  at  once  deliv- 
ered over  to  the  executive  authorities  of  the  respective  States  to  which 
they  belong,  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  of  said  States. 

"An  informal  application  was  made  by  the  State  authorities  for  the 
Negroes  captured  in  this  vicinity,  but  as  none  of  them,  it  appeared,  had 
been  slaves  of  citizens  of  South  Carolina,  they  were  not  turned  over  to 
civil  authority,  for  at  the  moment  there  was  no  official  information  at 
these  headquarters  of  the  Act  of  Congress  by  which  '  all  Negroes  and 
mulattoes  who  shall  be  engaged  in  war,  or  be  taken  in  arms  against  the 
Confederate  States,  or  shall  give  aid  or  comfort  to  the  enemies  of  the 
Confederate  States,' were  directed  to  be  turned  over  to  the  authorities 
of  '  State  .or  States  in  which  they  shall  be  captured,  to  be  dealt  with 
according  to  the  present  or  future  laws  of  such  State  or  States.' 

"On  the  21st  of  July,  however,  the  commanding  general  telegraphed 
to  the  Secretary  of  War  for  instructions  as  to  the  disposition  to  be 
made  of  the  Negroes  captured  on  Morris  and  James  islands,  and  on 

1  "  Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  viii.,  P.,  p.  36. 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        315 

the  22d  received  a  reply  that  they  must  be  turned  over  to  the  State 
authorities,  by  virtue  of  the  joint  resolutions  of  Congress  in  ques- 
tion. 

"Accordingly,  on  the  29th  of  July,  as  soon  as  a  copy  of  the  resolu- 
tion or  act  was  received,  his  Excellency  Governor  Bonham  was  in- 
formed that  the  Negroes  captured  were  held  subject  to  his  orders,  to 
be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  of  South  Carolina. 

"  On  the  same  day  (29th  of  July)  Governor  Bonham  requested  that 
they  should  be  retained  in  military  custody  until  he  could  make  ar- 
rangements to  dispose  of  them ;  and  in  that  custody  they  still  remain, 
awaiting  the  orders  of  the  State  authorities. 

' '  Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"THOMAS  JORDAN,  Chief  of  Staff." 

The  enemy  was  inflexible  in  his  purpose  to  deny  Negro 
soldiers  the  immunities  of  prisoners  of  war.  Some  whom 
the  fortunes  of  civil  war  threw  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy  were  murdered  after  they  had  surrendered  ;  others 
were  placed  at  work  on  fortifications,  where  they  were  ex- 
posed to  the  fire  of  the  Union  army ;  many  were  crowded 
into  common  jails,  and  made  to  toil  in  the  streets  like  fel- 
ons, or  were  sold  at  public  auction.  In  many  instances 
where  Negro  soldiers  had  surrendered  their  arms  on  the 
battle-field  they  were  shot  down  in  cold  blood.  On  the 
17th  of  December,  1863,  the  Richmond  Enquirer  said : 
"  The  Yankees  are  not  going  to  send  their  Negro  troops 
in  the  field ;  they  know  as  well  as  we  do  that  no  reliance 
can  be  placed  upon  them ;  but  as  depot  -  guards,  prison- 
guards,  etc.,  they  will  relieve  their  white  troops.  This  is 
the  use  that  will  be  made  of  them.  Should  they  be  sent 
to  the  field,  and  be  put  in  battle,  none  will  be  taken 
prisoners:  our  troops  understand  what  to  do  in  such 
cases." 

Such  advice  from  the  organ  of  the  Confederate  admin- 
istration at  Richmond  had  its  influence  upon  the  rebel 
army.  The  following  correspondence  between  Generals 
Peck  and  Pickett  needs  no  explanation  or  comment : 


316  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

"Headquarters  of  the  Army  and  District  of  North  Carolina, 

"  Newbern,  North  Carolina,  February  11, 1864. 
"Major-general  Pickett,  Department  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina, 

Confederate  Army,  Petersburg: 

"GENERAL, — I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  a  slip  cut  from  the  Rich- 
mond Examiner,  February  8, 1864.  It  is  styled  '  The  Advance  on  New- 
bern,' and  appears  to  have  been  extracted  from  the  Petersburg  Register, 
a  paper  published  in  the  city  where  your  headquarters  are  located. 

"Your  attention  is  particularly  invited  to  that  paragraph  which 
states  '  that  Colonel  Shaw  was  shot  dead  by  a  Negro  soldier  from  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  which  he  was  spanning  with  a  pontoon-bridge,' 
and  that  '  the  Negro  was  watched,  followed,  taken,  and  hanged  after 
the  action  at  Thomasville :' 

'"THE  ADVANCE  ON  NEWBERN. — The  Petersburg  Register  gives 
the  following  additional  facts  of  the  advance  on  Newbern:  Our  army, 
according  to  the  report  of  passengers  arriving  from  Weldon,  has  fallen 
back  to  a  point  sixteen  miles  west  of  Newbern.  The  reason  assigned 
for  this  retrograde  movement  was  that  Newbern  could  not  be  taken 
by  us  without  a  loss  on  our  part  which  could  find  no  equivalent  in  its 
capture,  as  the  place  was  stronger  than  we  had  anticipated.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  this,  we  are  sure  that  the  expedition  will  result  in  good  to 
our  cause.  Our  forces  are  in  a  situation  to  get  large  supplies  from  a 
country  still  abundant,  to  prevent  raids  on  points  westward,  and  keep 
Tories  in  check,  and  hang  them  when  caught. 

"  '  From  a  private  who  was  one  of  the  guard  that  brought  the  batch 
of  prisoners  through  we  learn  that  Colonel  Shaw  was  shot  dead  by  a 
Negro  soldier  from  the  other  side  of  the  river,  which  he  was  spanning 
with  a  pontoon-bridge.  The  Negro  was  watched,  followed,  taken,  and 
hanged  after  the  action  at  Thomasville.  It  is  stated  that  when  our 
troops  entered  Thomasville  a  number  of  the  enemy  took  shelter  in  the 
houses  and  fired  upon  them.  The  Yankees  were  ordered  to  surren- 
der, but  refused,  whereupon  our  men  set  fire  to  the  houses,  and  their 
occupants  got,  bodily,  a  taste  in  this  world  of  the  flames  eternal.' 

"  The  Government  of  the  United  States  has  wisely  seen  fit  to  enlist 
many  thousand  colored  citizens  to  aid  in  putting  down  the  rebellion,  and 

has  placed  them  on  the  same  footing  in  all  respects  as  her  white  troops. 
******* 

"Believing  that  this  atrocity  has  been  perpetrated  without  your 
knowledge,  and  that  you  will  take  prompt  steps  to  disavow  this  viola- 
tion of  the  usages  of  war,  and  to  bring  the  offenders  to  justice,  I  shall 
refrain  from  executing  a  rebel  soldier  until  I  learn  your  action  in  the 
premises. 

' '  I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant. 

"JOHN  J.  PECK,  Major-general." 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        317 

Reply  of  General  Pickett. 

"Headquarters  of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina, 

"  Petersburg,  Virginia,  February  16, 1864. 
"  Majoj'-general  John  J.  Peck,  U.S.A.,  Commanding  at  Newbern : 

"GENERAL, — Your  communication  of  the  llth  of  February  is  re- 
ceived. I  have  the  honor  to  state  in  reply  that  the  paragraph  from  a 
newspaper  enclosed  therein  is  not  only  without  foundation  in  fact,  but 
so  ridiculous  that  I  should  scarcely  have  supposed  it  worthy  of  con- 
sideration ;  but  I  would  respectfully  inform  you  that  had  I  caught  any 
Negro,  who  had  killed  either  officer,  soldier,  or  citizen  of  the  Confeder- 
ate States,  I  should  have  caused  him  to  be  immediately  executed. 

"To  your  threat  expressed  in  the  following  extract  from  your  com- 
munication, namely,  '  Believing  that  this  atrocity  has  been  perpetrated 
without  your  knowledge,  and  that  you  will  take  prompt  steps  to  dis- 
avow this  violation  of  the  usages  of  war,  and  to  bring  the  offenders  to 
justice,  I  shall  refrain  from  executing  a  rebel  soldier  until  I  learn  of 
your  action  in  the  premises,'  I  have  merely  to  say  that  I  have  in  ray 
hands,  and  subject  to  my  orders,  captured  in  the  recent  operations  in 
this  department,  some  four  hundred  and  fifty  officers  and  men  of  the 
United  States  army,  and  for  every  man  you  hang  I  will  hang  ten  of 
the  United  States  army. 

"  I  am,  General,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  J.  E.  PICKETT, 
"Major-general  Commanding."1 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1864,  a  correspondent,  writing 
from  Mississippi  to  the  Atlanta  Appeal,  speaking  of  For- 
rest's fighting  in  Tennessee,  said : 

"  Yery  few  Negroes,  it  seems,  have  been  captured.  Per- 
haps not  more  than  forty  or  fifty  have  appeared  at  head- 
quarters. Most  of  them  fled  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that 
Forrest  was  on  the  battle-field.  Those  that  were  taken 
escaped  (?).  The  soldiers  say  that  they  lost  them." 

In  plainer  terms,  the  soldiers  murdered  the  Negro  pris- 
oners, and  Forrest  knew  it  and  approved  of  the  butch- 
ery. As  at  Fort  Pillow,  so  here  and  elsewhere  during 
the  Rebellion,  Forrest  murdered  his  Negro  prisoners  of 

1  "Rebellion  Record,"  vol.  viii.,  Doc.,  pp.  418, 419. 


318  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

war.  His  government  never  disapproved  of  his  con- 
duct, because  he  was  simply  carrying  out  its  policy  in  the 
main. 

In  many  instances  Negro  captives  would  be  marched 
all  day,  escorted  by  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  towards 
evening  some  rebel  soldier  would  exclaim,  "  Halt  there ! 
These- niggers  are  tryin'  to  git  away!"  and  immediately 
begin  an  indiscriminate  slaughter  of  their  Negro  prison- 
ers. The  verbal  report  would  be  that  they  attempted  to 
escape  and  were  shot  by  the  guards.  But  no  investiga- 
tion would  be  instituted,  and  so  the  Confederate  soldier 
came  to  understand  that  it  was  his  privilege  and  his  duty 
to  murder  Negro  prisoners  of  war.  The  search  has  been 
made  in  vain  for  a  single  military  or  political  protest 
against  these  enormous  crimes.  On  the  contrary,  there 
is  ample  proof  that  the  murder  of  Negro  prisoners  was 
authorized  by  the  Confederate  Congress,  since  that  body 
regarded  them  as  engaged  in  insurrection,  the  crime 
whereof  was  punishable  with  death. 

The  following  despatch  shows  that  the  "War  Depart- 
ment knew  that  the  Confederate  Government  would  not 
treat  Negro  soldiers  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  that  it  was 
the  duty  of  the  United  States  Government  to  protect 
them : 

"War  Department,  November  17, 1863. 
"Major-general  Butler,  Fort  Monroe: 

"  The  whole  subject  of  exchange  of  prisoners  is  under  direction  of 
Major-general  Hitchcock,  to  whom,  as  Commissioner  of  Exchange, 
that  branch  of  the  service  has  been  committed.  He  will  be  glad  to 
have  any  aid  or  suggestions  you  may  be  pleased  to  furnish,  but  there 
should  be  no  interference  without  his  assent.  It  is  known  that  the 
rebels  will  exchange  man  for  man  and  officer  for  officer,  except  blacks, 
and  officers  in  command  of  black  troops.  These  they  absolutely  re- 
fuse to  exchange.  This  is  the  point  on  which  the  whole  matter  hangs. 
Exchanging  man  for  man  and  officer  for  officer,  with  the  exception  the 
rebels  make,  is  a  substantial  abandonment  of  the  Colored  Troops  and 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        319 

their  officers  to  their  fate,  and  would  be  a  shameful  dishonor  to  the 
Government  bound  to  protect  them.  When  they  agree  to  exchange 
all  alike  there  will  be  no  difficulty. 

"EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War." 

The  men  who  disgraced  their  uniform  by  murdering 
Union  prisoners  of  war  may  not  be  willing  to  remember, 
but  will  be  unable  to  forget,  their  crime  against  the  pro- 
fession of  arms.  Every  sentiment  of  patriotism,  every  in- 
stinct of  humanity,  every  principle  of  justice,  every  ele- 
ment of  Christian  ethics,  revolts  at  these  dark  deeds.  The 
Southern  conscience  of  to-day  may  seek,  like  Cain,  to  hide 
from  the  bar  of  public  sentiment,  but,  like  the  first  mur- 
der, neither  the  Confederate  Congress  nor  its  hired  assas- 
sin, the  Confederate  army,  can  ever  escape  the  fierce  light 
of  impartial  history.  A  cause  that  could  authorize  and 
seek  to  justify  such  horrors  is  forever  and  irrevocably 
"the  lost  cause."  No  descendant  will  be  proud  of  its 
memory,  no  friend  of  humanity  will  mourn  at  its  sepul- 
chre. Christian  civilization  the  world  over  will  rejoice 
that  such  a  cause  has  perished  from  among  the  govern- 
ments of  mankind ;  while  the  Negro,  with  unexampled 
charity,  if  not  able  to  forget,  freely  forgives  the  murder- 
ers of  his  kinsmen  under  the  pretext  of  law. 


320  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   CLOUD    OF    WITNESSES. 

TESTIMONY  to  the  martial  valor  of  the  Negro  soldier 
comes  from  the  lips  of  friend  and  foe  alike.  He  disap- 
pointed his  enemies  and  surprised  his  friends.  He  was  not 
only  impetuous  in  the  onset,  but  cool  and  stubborn  in  re- 
pelling an  assault.  He  exhibited  the  highest  qualities  of 
soldiership  at  Port  Hudson  in  repeatedly  assaulting  the 
enemy  in  strong  works  with  great  physical  obstructions  to 
contend  with.  It  was  true  he  had  the  inspiration  and  po- 
etry of  numbers  to  incite  him  to  deeds  of  valor ;  but  at 
Milliken's  Bend  he  was  a  raw  recruit,  and  yet  he  did  his 
fighting  with  the  bayonet,  often  dying  with  his  antago- 
nist's steel  in  his  body.  Often  he  transfixed  the  enemy, 
and  showed  himself  possessed  of  great  personal  courage 
when  every  semblance  of  .order  and  organization  had 
melted  in  the  heat  of  battle.  At  Olustee  and  Honey  Hill, 
at  Poison  Springs  and  Chafim's  Farm,  he  proved  that  he 
was  endowed  with  that  military  intelligence  of  unit  that 
makes  the  concrete  strength  of  an  army.  The  Negro  was 
a  soldier  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 

Secretary  of  War  Edwin  M.  Stanton  said  of  Negro 
troops  at  Petersburg :  "  The  hardest  fighting  was  done  by 
the  black  troops.  The  forts  they  stormed  were  the  worst 
of  all.  After  the  affair  was  over,  General  Smith  went  to 
thank  them,  and  tell  them  he  was  proud  of  their  courage 
and  dash.  He  says  they  cannot  be  exceeded  as  soldiers, 


IN  THE  WAR  OP  THE  REBELLION.  321 

and  that  hereafter  he  will  send  them  in  a  difficult  place  as 
readily  as  the  best  white  troops." ' 

In  a  letter  to  Senator  Henry  Wilson,  dated  May  30, 
1864,  Lorenzo  Thomas,  Adjutant- general  of  the  Army, 
said :  "  Experience  proves  that  they  manage  heavy  guns 
very  well.  Their  fighting  qualities  have  also  been  fully 
tested  a  number  of  times,  and  I  am  yet  to  hear  of  the  first 
case  where  they  did  not  fully  stand  up  to  their  work.  I 
passed  over  the  ground  where  the  First  Louisiana  made 
the  gallant  charge  at  Port  Hudson,  by  far  the  stronger  part 
of  the  rebel  works.  The  wonder  is  that  so  many  have 
made  their  escape.  At  Milliken's  Bend,  where  I  had  three 
incomplete  regiments,  one  without  arms  until  the  day  pre- 
vious to  the  attack,  greatly  superior  numbers  of  the  rebels 
charged  furiously  up  to  the  very  breastworks.  The  Ne- 
groes met  the  enemy  on  the  ramparts,  and  both  sides  free- 
ly used  the  bayonet — a  most  rare  occurrence  in  warfare, 
as  one  or  the  other  party  gives  away  before  coming  in 
contact  with  steel.  The  rebels  were  defeated  with  heavy 
loss.  The  bridge  at  Moscow,  on  the  line  of  railroad  from 
Memphis  to  Corinth,  was  defended  by  one  small  regiment 
of  blacks.  A  cavalry  attack  of  three  times  their  number 
was  made,  the  blacks  defeating  them  in  three  charges 
made  by  the  rebels. 

"  They  fought  them  hours,  till  our  cavalry  came  up, 
when  the  defeat  was  made  complete,  many  of  the  dead 
being  left  on  the  field. 

"  A  cavalry  force  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  attacked 
three  hundred  rebel  cavalry  near  the  Big  Black  with  sig- 
nal success,  a  number  of  prisoners  being  taken  and  marched 
to  Yicksburg.  Forrest  attacked  Paducah  with  seven  thou- 
sand five  hundred  men.  The  garrison  was  between  five 

1  New  York  Herald,  June  18, 1864 
21 


320  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    CLOUD    OP    WITNESSES. 

TESTIMONY  to  the  martial  valor  of  the  Negro  soldier 
comes  from  the  lips  of  friend  and  foe  alike.  He  disap- 
pointed his  enemies  and  surprised  his  friends.  He  was  not 
only  impetuous  in  the  onset,  but  cool  and  stubborn  in  re- 
pelling an  assault.  He  exhibited  the  highest  qualities  of 
soldiership  at  Port  Hudson  in  repeatedly  assaulting  the 
enemy  in  strong  works  with  great  physical  obstructions  to 
contend  with.  It  was  true  he  had  the  inspiration  and  po- 
etry of  numbers  to  incite  him  to  deeds  of  valor ;  but  at 
Milliken's  Bend  he  was  a  raw  recruit,  and  yet  he  did  his 
fighting  with  the  bayonet,  often  dying  with  his  antago- 
nist's steel  in  his  body.  Often  he  transfixed  the  enemy, 
and  showed  himself  possessed  of  great  personal  courage 
when  every  semblance  of  .order  and  organization  had 
melted  in  the  heat  of  battle.  At  Olustee  and  Honey  Hill, 
at  Poison  Springs  and  Chaffin's  Farm,  he  proved  that  he 
was  endowed  with  that  military  intelligence  of  unit  that 
makes  the  concrete  strength  of  an  army.  The  Negro  was 
a  soldier  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 

Secretary  of  "War  Edwin  M.  Stanton  said  of  Negro 
troops  at  Petersburg :  "  The  hardest  fighting  was  done  by 
the  black  troops.  The  forts  they  stormed  were  the  worst 
of  all.  After  the  affair  was  over,  General  Smith  went  to 
thank  them,  and  tell  them  he  was  proud  of  their  courage 
and  dash.  He  says  they  cannot  be  exceeded  as  soldiers, 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  321 

and  that  hereafter  he  will  send  them  in  a  difficult  place  as 
readily  as  the  best  white  troops." ' 

In  a  letter  to  Senator  Henry  Wilson,  dated  May  30, 
1864,  Lorenzo  Thomas,  Adjutant- general  of  the  Army, 
said :  "  Experience  proves  that  they  manage  heavy  guns 
very  well.  Their  fighting  qualities  have  also  been  fully 
tested  a  number  of  times,  and  I  am  yet  to  hear  of  the  first 
case  where  they  did  not  fully  stand  up  to  their  work.  I 
passed  over  the  ground  where  the  First  Louisiana  made 
the  gallant  charge  at  Port  Hudson,  by  far  the  stronger  part 
of  the  rebel  works.  The  wonder  is  that  so  many  have 
made  their  escape.  At  Milliken's  Bend,  where  I  had  three 
incomplete  regiments,  one  without  arms  until  the  day  pre- 
vious to  the  attack,  greatly  superior  numbers  of  the  rebels 
charged  furiously  up  to  the  very  breastworks.  The  Ne- 
groes met  the  enemy  on  the  ramparts,  and  both  sides  free- 
ly used  the  bayonet — a  most  rare  occurrence  in  warfare, 
as  one  or  the  other  party  gives  away  before  coming  in 
contact  with  steel.  The  rebels  were  defeated  with  heavy 
loss.  The  bridge  at  Moscow,  on  the  line  of  railroad  from 
Memphis  to  Corinth,  was  defended  by  one  small  regiment 
of  blacks.  A  cavalry  attack  of  three  times  their  number 
was  made,  the  blacks  defeating  them  in  three  charges 
made  by  the  rebels. 

"  They  fought  them  hours,  till  our  cavalry  came  up, 
when  the  defeat  was  made  complete,  many  of  the  dead 
being  left  on  the  field. 

"  A  cavalry  force  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  attacked 
three  hundred  rebel  cavalry  near  the  Big  Black  with  sig- 
nal success,  a  number  of  prisoners  being  taken  and  marched 
to  Yicksburg.  Forrest  attacked  Paducah  with  seven  thou- 
sand five  hundred  men.  The  garrison  was  between  five 

1  New  York  Herald,  June  18, 1864 
21 


324:  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

presence  of  the  enemy,  and  hence  an  assault  was  wholly 
impracticable.  Yet  they  made  five  several  attempts  to 
swim  and  cross  it,  preparatory  to  an  assault  on  the  enemy's 
works,  and  in  this,  too,  in  fair  view  of  the  enemy,  and  at 
short  musket-range.  Added  to  this,  the  nature  of  the  en- 
emy's works  was  such  that  it  allowed  an  enfilading  fire. 
Success  was  impossible,  yet  they  behaved  as  cool  as  if  vet- 
erans, and  when  ordered  to  retire,  marched  off  as  if  on 
parade.  I  feel  satisfied  that  if  the  position  of  the  bayou 
had  been  known,  and  the  assault  made  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
to  the  left  of  where  it  was,  the  place  would  have  been 
taken  by  this  Negro  brigade  on  that  day. 

"  On  that  day  I  witnessed  the  attack  made  by  the  di- 
visions of  Generals  Grover  and  Paine,  and  can  truly  say 
I  saw  no  steadier  fighting  by  those  daring  men  than  did 
the  Negroes  in  this  their  first  fight." 

Hundreds  of  other  witnesses  would  cheerfully  give  their 
testimony  to  the  valor  of  the  Negro  soldier,  but  no  more 
need  be  summoned.  There  is  no  testimony  offered  in  re- 
buttal ;  there  is  but  one  opinion — "  The  Colored  Troops 
fought  nobly" 

From  first  to  last  there  were  178,975  Negro  soldiers  in 
the  United  States  Yolunteer  army,  and  of  this  number 
'36,847  were  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  Thej-  partici- 
pated in  four  hundred  and  forty-nine  battles,  and  served 
in  nearly  every  military  department  of  the  United  States 
Army.  Besides  this  large  military  force  there  were  at 
least  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  Negro  laborers  in 
the  Quartermaster  and  Engineering  departments.  When 
Ohio  was  threatened  by  invasion  a  large  number  of  Negro 
citizens  of  Cincinnati  were  impressed  to  construct  mili- 
tary roads  and  fortifications.  This  band  of  patriotic  labor- 
ers, seven  hundred  and  six  in  number,  has  been  designated 
"  The  Black  Brigade  of  Cincinnati"  It  was  not  even 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        325 

a  regiment,  and  that  it  never  performed  military  service 
there  is  evidence  in  its  record,  compiled  in  1864.  The 
services  of  this  fatigue  party  lasted  just  eighteen  days, 
with  compensation  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  and  one  dollar 
and  a  half  per  day.  The  compiler  of  the  record  of  these 
men  says,  in  the  second  paragraph,  that  this  "  was  the  first 
organization  of  the  colored  people  of  the  North  actually 
employed  for  military  purposes ;"  while  Judge  Wm.  M. 
Dickson,  who  had  charge  of  them,  says :  "  During  the  first 
week  they  labored,  as  did  the  whole,  fatigue  force,  with- 
out compensation.  During  the  second  week  they  received 
a  dollar  a  day  per  man,  and  during  the  third  week  a  dollar 
and  a  half,  as  did  also  all  the  fatigue  force,  black  and 
white"  (page  20).  And  on  the  next  page  the  judge 
says :  "  Many  of  the  members  of  the  brigade  have  since 
entered  the  military  service."  It  is  plain,  therefore, 
that  these  men  were  not  a  "  brigade ;"  that  they  were 
never  called  upon  to  perform  military  service,  but  were 
simply  employed  on  fatigue  duty  for  a  term  less  than 
three  weeks. 

Not  alone  these  brave  black  men  of  Cincinnati,  but 
their  kinsmen  all  along  the  seaboard  defences  of  the  Union 
army,  were  part  of  the  muscle  and  sinew  of  the  repub- 
lic, and  what  they  did  in  their  humble  capacity  as  labor- 
ers should  never  be  forgotten  or  underestimated. 

The  result  of  this  long  and  sanguinary  fratricidal  con- 
flict was  the  attainment  of  two  noble  ends — American  Na- 
tionality and  National  Freedom.  The  metamorphoses  of 
the  United  States  Government  had  been  slow :  Continen- 
talism,  Federalism,  then  the  struggle  between  State  and 
National  Sovereignty.  The  character  of  the  Government 
had  always  been  equivocal.  The  armed  attempt  to  dis- 
turb the  autonomy  of  the  United  States  Government  was 
regarded  by  the  enemies  of  Democracy,  here  and  abroad, 


326  A  HISTORY   OF  NEGRO   TROOPS 

as  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the  republic.  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  elected,  by  all  the  solemn  forms  of  law,  Presi- 
dent of  these  United  States ;  the  Southern  States,  coerced 
by  ambitious  politicians,  appealed  from  the  decision  of  the 
ballot  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  Civil  War.  Following 
the  plaintiff  into  that  awful  tribunal,  the  United  States 
Government,  as  defendant,  won  the  right  of  national  ex- 
istence as  well  as  the  authority  to  enforce  its  laws  in  States 
as  in  the  Territories. 

Coupled  with  and  inseparable  from  the  doctrine  of 
State  Sovereignty  was  the  dogma  of  Negro  slavery.  The 
overturning  of  State  Rights  carried  with  it,  logically  and 
inevitably,  the  local,  sectional,  and  patriarchal  institution 
of  slavery.  They  were  united  in  life,  they  were  not  di- 
vided in  death,  and  they  found  a  common  grave  under  the 
feet  of  a  victorious  army.  American  nationality  is  sealed 
forever,  and  the  one  flag  of  a  great  nation  will  float  as  the 
sovereign  symbol  of  a  free  and  united  people ;  while  the 
Constitution  of  these  United  States  knows  no  sect  nor 
section,  no  party  nor  partisan,  no  black  nor  white,  only 
American  citizens. 

The  United  States  Government  added  no  star  to  its 
flag,  nor  did  it  wage  war  for  conquest,  but  in  defending  its 
life  against  the  insidious  and  dangerous  doctrine  of  dis- 
union it  struck  down  human  slavery,  the  bane  of  Ameri- 
can civilization.  Nor  was  it  an  accident  that  the  Negro 
soldier  became  a  profound  and  determinative  factor  in  the 
problem  of  war.  In  the  Universe  of  God  there  are  no  ac- 
cidents. From  the  fall  of  a  sparrow  to  the  sweep  of  a 
planet,  all  is  in  accord  with  His  will  whose  laws  are  divine ! 
The  Southern  Pharaoh,  as  the  Egyptian  Pharaoh,  pursued 
his  slaves  into  the  red  sea  of  civil  war,  where  the  Nemesis 
of  retribution  overtook  him.  The  handwriting  was  upon 
the  walls  of  the  institution  of  slavery  from  the  first  hour 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         327 

of  the  civil  strife ;  only  the  eyes  of  the  South  were  blind 
to  the  fate  that  awaited  the  enemies  of  humanity.  The 
Negro  slave,  at  first  despised  and  rejected,  at  least  became 
the  stake  of  the  game  of  war  to  be  won  or  lost.  But  the 
most  impressive  fact  in  this  strange  history  is  that  the  Ne- 
gro himself  helped  win  the  victory.  (There  was  no  time 
during  the  war  when  he  was  not,  in  one  way  or  another, 
helpful  to  the  cause  of  the  Union.X  During  the  first  year 
of  the  conflict,  when  the  hostile^armies  were  mastering 
technicalities  and  learning  the  art  of  practical  warfare,  the 
Negro  was  besieging  Heaven  with  his  potent  prayers  for 
the  Union.  He  could  not  be  inactive,  passive,  indifferent ; 
and  although  illiterate,  he  read  the  signs  of  the  times 
aright.  He  believed  from  the  first  that  the  war  was  all 
about  him,  and  for  his  redemption.  It  was  the  answer  to 
the  uncounted  prayers  of  generations  of  pious  slaves  ;  and 
although  many  died  without  the  sight,  the  promise  was 
unto  the  faithful. 

It  was  a  grand  achievement  in  the  history  of  the  De- 
mocracy of  the  world  that  the  United  States  Government 
was  taken  from  the  shifting  sands  of  the  delusion  of  State 
Rights  and  built  upon  the  adamantine  foundation  of  Na- 
tional Unity.  But  the  brightest  star,  the  one  that  shall 
shine  with  undimmed  lustre  while  Republican  institutions 
endure  among  men,  is  that  which  symbolizes  the  disin- 
thralment  of  4,500,000  bondmen.  To  wash  out  the  foul 
stain  of  human  slavery  by  the  blood  of  patriots,  to  elevate 
the  slave  to  the  dignity  of  a  soldier,  and  to  invite  him  into 
the  arena  of  civil  war,  where  every  element  of  manhood, 
every  sentiment  of  patriotism,  every  attribute  of  valor 
could  have  full  play,  was  an  achievement  hardly  ever 
vouchsafed  to  a  government  before.  And  where  upon 
the  face  of  the  whole  earth  has  a  race  of  slaves  gone  in  a 
single  bound  from  abject,  servile  subjection  to  the  impe- 


328  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

rial  heights  of  military  accomplishments?  History  con- 
tains no  parallel. 

In  passing  in  review  the  military  services  of  the  Negro 
soldier  some  lessons  may  be  learned.  Hamlets  and  vil- 
lages, towns  and  cities,  counties  and  States,  have  erected 
monuments  and  cenotaphs  to  commemorate  the  valor  of 
their  citizens.  The  ineffable,  mute  eloquence  of  these 
soldier-monuments  is  invaluable  to  the  cause  of  National 
Unity,  while  the  story  of  the  civil  war  is  forever  an  ob- 
ject lesson.  The  songs  of  a  nation  are  the  heart-beats  of 
patriotism ;  but  the  surest  way  to  teach  national  history 
is  in  monumental  marble  and  brass.  The  deathless  deeds 
of  the  white  soldier's  valor  are  not  only  embalmed  in  song 
and  story,  but  are  carved  in  marble  and  bronze.  But  no- 
where in  all  this  free  land  is  there  a  monument  to  brave 
Negro  soldiers,  36,847  of  whom  gave  up  their  lives  in  the 
struggle  for  national  existence.  Even  the  appearance  of 
the  Negro  soldier  in  the  hundreds  of  histories  of  the  war 
has  always  been  incidental.  These  brave  men  have  had 
no  champion,  no  one  to  chronicle  their  record,  teeming 
with  interest  and  instinct  with  patriotism. 

A  government  of  a  proud,  patriotic,  prosperous,  and  free 
people  would  make  a  magnificent  investment  by  erecting 
at  the  capital  of  the  nation  a  monument  dedicated  to  its 
brave  black  soldiers.  The  large  and  beautiful  Govern- 
ment Park,  immediately  in  front  of  Howard  University, 
would  be  an  admirable  place  for  a  monument  to  the 
Negro  soldiers  who  fell  in  their  country's  cause.  A 
commanding  monument  made  of  Southern  granite,  sur- 
mounted by  a  private  soldier  in  great-coat,  equipments, 
fixed  bayonet,  gun  at  parade  rest,  looking  south  towards 
the  Capitol,  would  be  most  impressive.  At  the  four  cor- 
ners the  three  arms  of  the  field -service  and  the  navy 
would  be  represented.  First  figure,  a  Negro  artillery- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         329 

man  in  full-dress  uniform,  with  folded  arms,  standing  by 
a  field -piece.  Second  figure,  a  cavalryman  in  full-dress 
uniform,  with  spurs  and  gloves,  and  sabre  unhooked  at 
his  left  side.  Third  figure,  an  infantryman  in  full-dress 
uniform,  accoutrements,  and  musket  at  in  place  rest. 
Fourth  figure,  a  Negro  sailor  in  uniform  standing  by  an 
anchor  or  mortar. 

On  i\\Q  first  side  of  the  monument : 

A  GRATEFUL  NATION  CONSECRATES  THIS  MONUMENT  TO  THE 
36,847  NEGRO  SOLDIERS  WHO  DIED  IN  THE 

SERVICE  OF  THEIR  COUNTRY. 
"THE  COLORED  TROOPS  FOUGHT  NOBLY." 

On  the  second  side  of  the  monument : 

THEY    EARNED    THE    RIGHT    TO    BE    FREE    BY    DEEDS    OF    DES- 
PERATE VALOR;    AND  IN  THE  449  ENGAGEMENTS  IN 
WHICH  THEY  PARTICIPATED  THEY  PROVED  THEM- 
SELVES WORTHY  TO  BE  INTRUSTED  WITH 
A  NATION'S  FLAG  AND  HONOR. 

On  the  third  side  of  the  monument : 

DURING    THE    CIVIL    WAR    IN    AMERICA,  FROM    1861    TO    1865, 

THERE    WERE    178,975    NEGRO    SOLDIERS    ENROLLED    IN 

THE    UNITED    STATES    VOLUNTEER    ARMY.       OF    THIS 

NUMBER   99,337    WERE    ENLISTED    BY    AUTHORITY 

OF    THE     GOVERNMENT,    AND    79,638    WERE 

ENLISTED    BY    THE    SEVERAL    STATES 

AND    TERRITORIES. 

On  the  fourth  side  of  the  monument : 

PORT  HUDSON,  MILLIKEN's  BEND, 

FORT  WAGNER,  OLUSTEE, 

HONEY  HILL,  FAIR  OAKS, 

NEW  MARKET  HEIGHTS,  PETERSBURG, 

POISON  SPRINGS,  NASHVILLE, 

DEEP  BOTTOM,  FORT  FISHER, 

FORT  PILLOW,  FORT  BLAKELY, 

CHAFFIN'S  FARM,  HATCHER'S  RUN. 


330  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

These  inscriptions  are  merely  suggestive;  the  United 
States  Congress  would  charge  the  appropriate  committee 
with  this  as  with  other  matters  of  detail.  And  the  mat- 
ter of  naming  the  park  in  which  such  a  monument  should 
stand  belongs  to  the  Congress,  and  is  very  important. 
Among  all  the  white  officers  who  were  identified  with 
Negro  troops,  Colonel  Robert  Gould  Shaw  was  the  most 
conspicuous,  and  of  most  commanding  character.  He  came 
of  a  noble  race  of  men,  and  his  broad  views  of  humanity 
were  an  inheritance ;  he  was  pure  as  he  was  just,  beauti- 
ful as  he  was  good,  patriotic  as  he  was  brave.  He  was  a 
born  leader  of  men,  and,  had  he  lived,  would  have  attained 
high  rank.  He  had  studied  at  Harvard  College  with  dil- 
igence, and  was  an  heir  to  fortune,  and  yet  he  heard  his 
country's  call  for  defenders  in  the  midst  of  luxury  and 
ease,  and  responded.  When  other  officers  not  only  de- 
spised the  Negro,  but  had  no  faith  in  his  manhood  or 
courage,  Colonel  Shaw  chose  to  lead  the  first  Massachu- 
setts Colored  troops  to  the  battle-field.  And  so  he  resigned 
his  commission  in  one  of  the  best  veteran  white  regiments 
of  Massachusetts  and  became  the  colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
fourth  Massachusetts  (Negro)  Regiment.  His  influence 
over  his  regiment,  his  gentle  kindness,  and  yet  his  firm- 
ness as  a  disciplinarian,  his  rectitude  in  camp  and  his 
courage  in  battle,  are  remembered  by  all  whose  good 
fortune  it  was  to  come  within  the  sphere  of  his  military 
activity. 

Alas !  that  he  should  have  fallen  so  early  in  the  cause 
he  so  eagerly  served !  But  who  can  record  that  death 
without  emotion !  There  come  a  choking  sensation,  the 
fugitive  tear,  the  swelling  heart,  the  soul's  deep  sigh,  as 
memory  turns  to  the  parapets  of  Wagner  where  patriot- 
ism offered  up  one  of  its  most  valiant  votaries.  The  story 
of  the  fall  of  Colonel  Shaw  at  the  head  of  his  gallant  regi- 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.        331 

ment  is  known  by  heart  throughout  the  land,  and  in  the 
humble  huts  of  the  unlettered  blacks  of  the  South  his 
name  is  a  household  word.  His  stainless  memory  is  the 
amulet  that  will  forever  preserve,  untouched  by  calum- 
ny or  the  corroding  mutations  of  time,  the  valor  of  the 
American  Negro  soldier. 

To  name  for  Colonel  Robert  Gould  Shaw  a  park  where- 
in a  national  monument  to  the  Negro  should  stand  would 
be  eminently  proper.  It  would'  quicken  the  pulse  of  na- 
tional patriotism,  it  would  elevate  the  feelings  of  the  Ne- 
gro, it  would  inform  the  Present,  instruct  the  Future,  and 
bind  the  friends  of  freedom  to  the  generous  heart  of  the 
nation.  He  was  representative  of  the  sentiment  of  anti- 
slavery  New  England,  and  was  also  the  embodiment  of  all 
that  was  noble  and  upright  in  national  character.  He< 
harbored  no  narrow,  provincial  sentiments,  for  his  mind 
was  broad  as  his  ideas  of  the  National  Government  were 
far-reaching.  He  was  a  splendid  type  of  the  most  unself- 
ish and  exalted  American  patriot,  and  in  recognizing  his 
consummate  services  and  in  hallowing  his  precious  mem- 
ory the  nation,  for  whose  preservation  he  yielded  up  his 
life,  would  honor  itself.  The  old  Commonwealth  of  Mas- 
sachusetts would  beg  of  the  Government  the  privilege  of 
placing  a  statue  of  Colonel  Shaw  at  the  entrance  of  the 
proposed  park. 

Many  Spartans  fell  at  Thermopylae,  but  in  the  battle- 
picture  of  that  heroic  defence  the  student  of  history  sees 
alone  the  commanding  form  of  Leonidas~  Many  brave 
men  fell  at  the  storming  of  Battery  Wagner,  yei.  never- 
theless but  one  figure  will  be  conspicuous  in  the  eye  of 
history  for  all  time,  Colonel  Robert  Gould  Shaw,  crying, 
"  Forward  !  my  brave  boys  /" 

Looking  back  over  the  centuries,  there  would  be  little 
else  to  record  of  the  poor,  patient  Negro  save  his  suffer- 


332  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

iugs  and  degradation  were  it  not  for  the  luminous  flashes 
of  his  martial  glory,  which  cast  a  light  upon  the  back- 
ground of  an  otherwise  sombre  picture.  But  a  monument 
such  as  is  here  proposed  would  surely  and  safely  elevate 
the  Negro  to  a  proud  place  in  the  history  of  the  nation. 
There  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  ignorant  people  in 
the  streets  of  Paris,  but  the  great  French  nation  can 
never  lack  patriotic  defenders  so  long  as  its  multitudinous 
monuments  teach  the  unerring  and  inspiring  lessons  of  its 
history.  No  people  can  be  dangerously  ignorant  if  their 
government  build  monuments. 

The  masses  of  Negroes  in  the  United  States  are  igno- 
rant ;  but  from  their  loins  will  spring  only  a  race  of  patri- 
ots so  long  as  a  monument  records  the  magnificent  military 
achievements  of  the  Negro  soldier.  Under  such  an  object 
lesson,  held  by  the  sacred  spell,  touched  by  such  an  im- 
mutable influence,  centuries  might  pass,  treasures  corrode, 
cities  disappear,  tribes  perish,  and  even  empires  whose 
boast  was  their  duration  might  crumble,  but  a  republic 
that  remembers  to  defend  its  defenders  in  tracing  their 
noble  conduct  in  monumental  marble  and  brass  can  never 
decay.  Heaven  and  earth  may  pass  away,  but  God's  word 
endures  forever.  Truth  only  is  immortal. 


IX  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 


333 


THE   BOLL    OF    HONOR. 

THE  roll  of  honor  is  luminous  with  the  names  of  Negro 
soldiers  who,  by  deeds  of  personal  valor,  won  the  applause 
of  the  commanding  generals  and  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States.  Such  a  roll  must  necessarily  be  inadequate,  for 
many  as  deserving  as  those  whose  names  are  here  inscribed 
have  been  overlook- 
ed, but  with  very 
few  exceptions  the 
entire  force  of  col- 
ored troops  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion 
is  worthy  of  special 
mention. 

For  gallantry  while 
acting  as  color -ser- 
geant of  the  Thirty- 
ninth  United  States 
Colored  Troops  at 
the  battle  of  Peters- 
burg, July  30,  1864, 
/'>Decatur  Dorsey  was 
awarded  a  medal  by 
Congress.  ^  Sergeant- 
major  Thomas  Haw-  CONGRESS  MEDAL. 
kins,  Sixth  United 

States  Colored  Troops,  for  rescuing  a  regimental  flag  in 
the  battle  of  Deep  Bottom,  Virginia,  July,  1864,  was 
awarded  a  medal  by  Congress. 

In  an  address  to  the  Army  of  the  James,  Headquarters 
Department  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  before  Rich- 


334  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

mond,  October  11,  1864,  General  Butler  made  the  follow- 
ing special  and  significant  mention  of  the  valor  of  colored 
troops  through  the  campaign  which  the  army  had  just 
passed : 

"  Of  the  colored  soldiers  of  the  Third  Divisions  of  the  Eighteenth  and 
Tenth  corps,  and  the  officers  who  led  them,  the  general  commanding 
desires  to  make  special  mention. 

"In  the  charge  on  the  enemy's  works  by  thexiolored  division  of  the 
Eighteenth  Corps  at  Spring  Hill,  New  Market,  better  men  were  never 
better  led,  better  officers  never  led  better  men.  \  With  hardly  an  ex- 


ception, officers  of  colored  troops  have  justified  the  care  with  which 
they  have  been  selected.  A  few  more  such  gallant  charges,  and  to 
command  colored  troops  will  be  the  post  of  honor  in  the  American  ar- 
mies. The  colored  soldiers,  by  coolness,  steadiness,  and  determined 
courage  and  dash,  have  silenced  every  cavil  of  the  doubters  of  their 
soldierly  capacity,  and  drawn  tokens  of  admiration  from  their  enemies 
— have  brought  their  late  masters,  even,  to  the  consideration  of  the 
question  whetherthey  will  not  employ  as  soldiers  the  hitherto  despised 
race.  Be  it  so  (jthis  war  is  ended  when  a  musket  is  in  the  hands  of 

every  able-bodied  Negro  who  wishes  to  use  one.) 

*  *  *  *        -^     *  * 

"  Third  Division. 

"  Brigadier-general  Charles  J.  Paine  has  received  the  thanks  of  Ma- 
jor-general D.  B.  Birney  for  the  conduct  of  his  division  while  tempo- 
rarily acting  with  the  Tenth  Corps  in  the  action  of  the  29th  of  Sep- 
tember, near  NeV  Market. 

"Colonel  S.  A.  Duncan,  Fourth  United  States  Colored  Troops,  com- 
manding Third  Brigade,  in  addition  to  other  gallant  services  in  the 
field  heretofore,  fell  wounded  near  the  enemy's  works.  He  is  recom- 
mended to  the  President  for  a  brevet  rank  as  brigadier-general. 

"Colonel  A.  G.  Draper,  Thirty-sixth  United  States  Colored  Troops, 
commanding  Second  Brigade,  carried  his  brigade  in  column  of  assault 
with  fixed  bayonets  over  the  enemy's  works  through  a  double  line  of 
abatis,  after  severe  resistance.  For  incessant  attention  to  duty  and 
gallantry  in  action,  Colonel  Draper  is  also  recommended  to  brevet  rank 
as  brigadier-general.  >O 

A  "Lieutenant -colonel  G.  W.  Shurtleff,  Fifth  United  States  Colored 
Troops,  gallantly  led  his  regiment  in  the  assault  of  the  29th,  although 
at  the  commencement  of  the  charge  was  shot  through  the  wrist  and 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         335 

again  wounded  until  he  received  a  third,  and  probably  mortal,  wound 
close  to  the  enemy's  works.  He  has  nobly  earned  his  promotion  and 
his  commission  as  colonel  of  his  regiment,  to  date  from  the  29th  of  Sep- 
tember, subject  to  the  approval  of  the  President.  ^ 

"First-lieutenant  Edwin  C.  Gaskill,  Thirty-sixth  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  for  distinguished  gallantry  in  leading  his  men,  when  shot 
through  the  arm,  withjn  twenty  yards  of  the  enemy's  works.  He  is 
promoted  to  a  captain.'  /^ 

"First-lieutenant  Richard  F.  Andrews,  Thirty-sixth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  has  honorable  mention.  Having  been  two  months 
sick  and  relieved  from  duty,  he  volunteered  and  charged  with  his  com- 
mand through  the  swamp,  where  he  received  a  wound.  He  is  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  captain.  *  fi 

"  First-lieutenant  James  B.  Backup,  Thirty-sixth  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  excused  from  duty  for  lameness,  from  which  he  could 
walk  but  a  short  distance,  volunteered  and  charged  with  his  command 
through  the  swamp,  and  received  a  wound  through  the  breast.  He  is 
promoted  to  a  captain*^  7^ 

"Private  James  Gardner,  Company  I,  Thirty -sixth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  rushed  in  advance  of  his  brigade,  shot  at  a  rebel  offi- 
cer who  was  on  the  parapet  cheering  his  men,  and  then  ran  him 
through  with  his  bayonet.  He  will  have  a  sergeant's  warrant  and  a 
medal  for  gallant  daring.  >  &  • 

"Captain  Philip  Weinmann,  Sixth  United  States  Colored  Troops, 
commanding  division  of  sharp-shooters,  and  in  charge  of  the  skirmish 
line,  is  promoted  to  major  for  excellent  conduct  in  making  his  line  of 
assault  on  the  29th  of  September.  J 

"(Milton  M.  Holland,  Sergeant-major  Fifth  United  States  Colored 
Troops,  commanding  Company  C  ;  James  H.  Bronson,  first -sergeant, 
commanding  Company  D ;  .Robert  Pinn,  first  -  sergeant,  commanding 
Company  I,  wounded;  Powhatan  Beaty,  first -sergeant,  commanding 
Company  G,  Fifth  United  States  Colored  Troops  —  all  these  gallant 
colored  soldiers  were  left  in  command,  all  their  company  officers  being 
killed  or  wounded,  and  led  them  gallantly  and  meritoriously  through 
the  day.  For  these  services  they  have  most  honorable  mention,  and 
the  commanding  general  will  cause  a  special  medal  to  be  struck  in 
honor  of  these  gallant  colored  soldiers,  i-i  (• 

"Captain  Peter  Schlick,  Thirty-eighth  United  States  Colored  Troops, 
was  the  first  of  his  regiment  to  enter  the  rebel  works  in  the  assault  of 
the  29th,  and  is  promoted  to  major; 

"Lieutenant  Samuel  B.  Bancroft,  Thirty-eighth  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  has  honorable  mention  for  daring  and  endurance.  Being 


336  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

shot  through  the  hip  at  the  swamp,  he  crawled  forward  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  waving  his  sword,  and  cheering  his  men  to  follow.  1 7 

"First-sergeant  Edward  Ratcliff,  Company  C,  Thirty-eighth  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  thrown  into  command  of  his  company  by  the 
death  of  the  officer  commanding,  was  the  first  enlisted  man  in  the  ene- 
my's works,  leading  his  company  with  great  gallantry,  for  which  he 
has  a  medal,  n  ir*~ 

1 '  Private  Wm.  H.  Barnes,  Company  C,  Thirty-eighth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  among  the  very  first  to  enter  the  rebel  works,  although 
himself  previously  wounded,  has  a  medal  for  his  gallantry. ,  ^/Y^ 

"  Sergeant  Jas.  H.  Harris,  Company  B,  Thirty-eighth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  has  a  medal  for  gallant  conduct  in  the  assault  on  the 
29th  inst.  SLb  «~- 

"  First  -  lieutenant  J.  Murray  Hoag,  Fourth  United  States  Colored 
Troops,  although  on  the  sick  list,  and  suffering  from  the  effects  of 
fever,  insisted  on  leading  his  company,  until  he  fell,  wounded  in  two 
places,  at  the  enemy's  inner  line  of  abatis.  He  is  promoted  to  captain.  ^' 

"Alfred  B.Hilton,  Color  -  sergeant  Fourth  United  States  Colored 
Troops,  the  bearer  of  the  national  colors,  when  the  color-sergeant  with 
the  regimental  standard  fell  beside  him,  seized  the  standard,  and  strug- 
gled forward  with  both  colors,  until  disabled  by  a  severe  wound  at  the 
enemy's  inner  line  of  abatis,  and  when  on  the  ground  he  showed  that 
his  thoughts  were  for  the  colors  and  not  for  himself.  He  has  a  special 
medal  for  gallantry,  and  will  have  his  warrant  as  first-sergeant. 

"Christian  A.  Fleetwood,  Sergeant-major  Fourth  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  when  two  color-bearers  had  been  shot  down,  seized  the 
national  colors  and  bore  them  nobly  through  the  fight.  He  has  a 
special  medal  for  gallant  conduct. i-^  0^ 

"  Charles  Veal,  Color-bearer  Company  D,  Fourth  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  after  two  bearers  of  the  regimental  color  had  been  shot 
down,  seized  it  close  to  the  enemy's  works  and  bore  it  through  the  re- 
mainder of  the  action.  He  has  a  medal  for  gallantry,  and  will  have 
the  warrant  of  color-sergeant. "i-^  &**• 

"Lieutenant  N.  H.  Edgerton,  Adjutant  Sixth  United  States  Colored 
Troops,  when  the  color-bearer  was  shot  down,  seized  the  colors  and 
carried  them  forward,  even  after  his  own  hand  was  pierced  by  a  bullet 
which  severed  the  flag-staff.  He  is  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain. 

"  Corporal  Miles  James,  Thirty-sixth  United  States  Colored  Troops, 

|  after  having  his  arm  so  badly  mutilated  that  immediate  amputation 

[  was  necessary,  loaded  and  discharged  his  piece  with  one  hand,  and 

I  urged  his  men  forward— this  within  thirty  yards  of  the  enemy's  works. 

He  has  a  medal  and  a  sergeant's  warrant. 


IN   THE   WAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  337 

' '  First  -  sergeant  William  Davis,  Company  E,  Thirty  -  sixth  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  has  honorable  mention  and  a  medal  for  gal- 
lantry. 2  yt*>^- 

"  Sergeant  Samuel  Gilchrist,  Company  K,  Thirty-sixth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  showed  great  bravery  and  gallantry  in  commanding 
his  company  after  his  officers  were  killed.  He  has  a  medal  for  gal- 
lantry. Xv  '' 

"Alexander  Kelley,  First-sergeant  Company  F,  Sixth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  gallantly  seized  the  colors,  which  had  fallen  near  the 
enemy's  inner  abatis,  raised  them,  and  rallied  the  men,  at  a  time  of 
confusion  and  a  place  of  the  greatest  possible  danger.  He  has  a  medal 
for  his  gallantry.  2. 9  rt**' 

"Sergeant  Ellsbry,  First-sergeant  Company  G,  Sixth  United  States 
Colored  Troops,  has  a  medal  for  bravery  and  remarkable  coolness  dur- 
ing the  engagement  of  September  29,  1864.  ^^  rtwv 

"Major  J.  B.  Cook,  Twenty-second  United  States  Colored  Troops, 
commanding  his  regiment  as  a  skirmish  line,  behaved  most  gallantly 
himself,  and  managed  his  men  with  marked  ability  in  the  assault  on 
the  enemy's  lines  near  New  Market.  In  the  attempt  of  the  enemy  to 
take  Fort  Harrison  he  unfortunately  fell  wounded  through  his  utter 
neglect  of  personal  safety.  He  is  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel.  3/ 

"Captain  Robert  Dollard,  Second  United  States  Colored  Cavalry, 
acting  as  field-officer,  and  in  charge  of  the  skirmish  line  in  the  assault 
on  New  Market,  September  29th,  inspired  his  command  by  his  great 
personal  bravery,  coolness,  and  ability,  until  he  fell  sgy^erely  wounded 
near  the  enemy's  main  line.  He  is  promoted  to  major.  >~ 

' '  First-lieutenant  Henry  Peterson,  Second  United  States  Cavalry,  is 
promoted  to  a  captaincy  for  gallantry  and  ability  in  conducting  his 
company  at  New  Market  on  the  29th  of  September,  and  for  meritorious 
conduct  in  the  field  and  camp.3  3^ 

'/  Sergeant  George  Honesty,  Company  I,  Second  Colored  Cavalry; 
First-sergeant  Isaac  Harris,  Company  F;-  Sergeant  Gilbert  Harris,  Com- 
pany F;^Sergeant  Reuben  Parker,  Company  F;  First-sergeantoRan- 
dolph  Driver,  Company  I,  have  honorable  mention  for  conspicuous 
bravery  on  the  skirmish  line  in  the  assault  on  the  enemy's  works  Sep- 
tember 29th.  Each  has  a  medal. 

"  The  regiments  of  this  division  having  behaved  with  great  gallantry 
in  several  actions,  earning  thereby  the  right  to  official  notice,  it  is  or- 
dered that  there  be  inscribed  upon  the  colors  of  the  First  and  Tenth 
United  States  Colored  Troops  the  name  'Wilson's  Wharf, 'that  being 
the  place  where  they  defeated  the  cavalry  of  Fjtzhugh  Leje*. 

"That  the  Second  United  States  Colored  Cavalry  have  the  word 
22 


338  A  HISTORY   OF   NEGRO   TROOPS 

'  Suffolk '  on  their  colors  for  their  conduct  in  the  battle  of  March  9tk 
near  that  place. 

"That  the  First,  Fourth,  Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Twenty-second  United 
States  Colored  Troops  have  the  word  '  Petersburg '  inscribed  on  their 
banners  for  their  gallantry  in  capturing  the  line  of  works  and  the  en- 
emy's guns  on  the  15th  of  June,  1864,  at  that  place. 

"  That  the  First,  Fourth,  Fifth,  Sixth,  Twenty-second,  Thirty-sixth, 
Thirty-seventh,  Thirty-eighth  United  States  Colored  Troops,  and  the 
Second  United  States  Colored  Cavalry,  have  the  words  '  New  Market 
Heights '  inscribed  upon  their  colors  for  their  gallantry  in  carrying  the 
enemy's  works  at  that  point  on  the  29th  of  September. 

"  The  quartermaster  is  directed  to  furnish  a  new  stand  of  colors  to 
each  of  these  regiments,  with  the  inscription  ordered. 

****** 

"  Third  Division,  Tenth  Army  Corps. 

"First-lieutenant  \Waldo  B.  Ryder,  Seventh  United  States  Colored 
Troops;  First-lieutenant^ijoseph  E.  Lockwood,  Seventh  United  States 
Colored  Troops;  First-lieutenantoSumner  E.  Warren,  Seventh  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  are  promoted  to  be  captains  for  meritorious 
conduct  during  their  connection  with  the  regiment.4'' 

"Second-lieutenant /Alpheus  K.  Long,  Seventh  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops;  Second-lieutenant  Charles  H.  C.  Brown,  Seventh  United 
States  Colored  Troops;  Second-lieutenant  Russel  Hall,  Seventh  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  are  promoted  to  nrst-lieutenants  for  meritori- 
ous services  during  their  connection  with  the  regiment. 

"  Lieutenattt-colonel  Samuel  C.  Armstrong,  Ninth  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  is  promoted,  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  Deep 
Bottom  and  Fussell's  Mill  on  the  14th  of  August,  1864,  as  Colonel  of 
the  Eighth  United  States  Colored  Troops,  vice  Colonel  Loren  Burrett, 
who  has  failed  to  be  mustered  on  account  of  physical  disability,  jlfi 

"  First  -  lieutenant  Thomas  Young,  Eighth  United  States  Colored 
Troops,  is  promoted  to  be  captain  for  meritorious  services.  -» '-  £,  1 

"Second-lieutenant  William  H.  Brooks,  Eighth  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  is  promoted  to  first-lieutenant. 

"First-lieutenant  Haskell  M.  Phelps  is  promoted  to  be  captain  in 
the  Ninth  United  States  Colored  Troops  for  meritorious  services  dur- 
ing his  connection  with  the  regiment.  L  ^  r 

"  Second-lieutenant  Edward  E.  Fairchild,  Ninth  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  is  promoted  to  first  -  lieutenant  for  meritorious  services 
during  his  connection  with  the  regiment. 

"Second-lieutenants  Edward  Coe  and  John  Bishop,  Twenty-ninth 


IN  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.         339 

Connecticut  Colored  Volunteers,  are  appointed  first- lieutenants  for  uni- 
form attention  to  duty.^jT-—  £~~/ 

"Major  George  E.  Wagner,  Eighth  United  States  Colored  Troops,  is 
specially  mentioned  for  gallantry,  and  is  appointed  lieutenant-colonel, 
trice  Lieutenant-colonel  Armstrong,  Ninth  United  States  Colored  Troopsri  "2 

"  Captain  Oscar  E.  Pratt,  Seventh  United  States  Colored  Troops,  has 
honorable  mention  for  meritorious  conduct,  and  is  appointed  major  in 
the  Eighth  United  States  Colored  Troops,  vice  Major  Wagner  promoted.' 

"  Captains  ,  Julius    A.  Weiss, -TJiomas  McCarty,  First  -  lieutenants 
-Oeorge   R.  Sherman,  David   S.  Mack,  Second  -  lieutenants   Sylvester 
'    Ehler,  J.  Ferguson,  R.  M.  Spinney,  of  the  Seventh  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  are  all  entitled  to  the  highest  praise  and  commendation 
for  their  gallantry  and  good  conduct  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Gilraer, 
for  which  they  are  not  now  promoted,  being  either  killed  or  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  *7  " 

"  The  commanding  general  is  quite  conscious  that  in  his  endeavors 
to  put  on  record  the  gallant  deeds  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the 
Army  of  the  James,  he  has  almost,  of  necessity,  because  of  the  imper- 
fection of  reports,  omitted  many  deserving  of  mention;  yet,  as  these 
gallant  men  will  on  other  occasions  equally  distinguish  themselves, 
they  can  then  take  their  due  place  in  their  country's  history. 

"By  command  of  Major-general  Butler. 

"EDWARD  W.  SMITH, 
"Assistant  Adjutant-general." 

The  following  enlisted  men  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massa- 
chusetts Infantry  received  the  Gillmore  medal  for  gal- 
lantry in  the  assault  on  Fort  "Wagner,  July  18,  1863 : 
Sergeant /Robert  J.  Simmons,  Company  B  ;  Sergeant£Will- 
iam  H.  Carney,  Company  C ;  Corporals-Henry  F.  PeaL  n 
Company  F ;  and  Private  George  "Wilson,  Company  A.  - 

The  following  order  was  issued  in  recognition  of  the 
conspicuous  gallantry  of  colored  soldiers  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  South : 

"  Headquarters  Department  of  the  South, 
"  Hilton  Head,  South  Carolina,  April  12, 1865. 

"  On  March  7, 1865,  a  party  of  Colored  soldiers  and  scouts,  thirty  in 
number,  commanded  byHSergeant-major  Henry  James,  Third  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  left  Jacksonville,  Florida,  and  penetrated  into 
the  interior  through  Marion  County.  They  rescued  ninety-one  Ne- 
groes from  slavery,  captured  four  white  prisoners,  two  wagons,  and 


340  A  HISTORY  OF  NEGRO  TROOPS 

twenty-four  horses  and  mules;  destroyed  a  sugar-mill  and  a  distillery, 
which  were  used  by  the  rebel  government,  together  with  their  stocks 
of  sugar  and  liquor,  and  burned  the  bridge  over  the  Oclawaha  River. 
When  returning  they  were  attacked  by  a  band  of  over  jifty_cavalry, 
whom  they  defeated  and  drove  off  with  a  loss  of  more  than  thirty  to 
the  rebels.  After  a  long  and  rapid  march  they  arrived  at  St.  Augus- 
tine on  March  12th,  having  lost  but  two  killed  and  four  wounded. 

"This  expedition,  planned  and  executed  by  Colored  men  under  the 
command  of  a  Colored  non-commissioned  officer,  reflects  credit  upon 
the  brave  participants  and  their  leader. 

"The  major-general  commanding  thanks  these  courageous  soldiers 
and  scouts,  and  holds  up  their  conduct  to  their  comrades  in  arms  as 
an  example  worthy  of  emulation. 

"By  command  of  Major-general  Q.  A.  Gillmore. 

"  W.  L.  M.  BURGER. 
"Assistant  Adjutant-general." 

"War  Department,  Adjutant-general's  Office, 

"  Washington,  December  22, 1864. 
"  General  Orders  No.  303. 

"  The  following  General  Order,  No.  81,  from  the  Headquarters  Mili- 
tary Division  of  West  Mississippi,  is  approved  by  the  President  of  the 

United  States: 

"Headquarters  Military  Division  of  West  Mississippi, 

"  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  December  9, 1864. 
"  General  Orders  No.  81. 

"Subject  to  the  approval  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
\,,  Major  J.  B.  Cook,  Third  United  States  Colored  Cavalry,  is  hereby  pro- 
moted to  the  lieutenant-colonelcy  of  that  regiment,  to  date  from  the 
27th  of  November,  1864,  in  consideration  of  the  gallantry  displayed  by 
him  on  that  day,  when,  with  his  men  dismounted,  and  having  nothing 
but  railroad  ties  for  a  path,  he  charged  over  the  Big  Black  Bridge,  near 
Canton,  Mississippi,  in  face  of  a  heavy  fire,  drove  off  the  rebel  force 
stationed  on  the  opposite  shore  behind  a  strong  stockade,  and  destroyed 
the  bridge,  by  which  the  main  line  of  the  rebel  general  Hood's  com- 
munications with  his  depots  in  South  Mississippi  and  Alabama  was 
effectually  cut  off.  The  major-general  commanding  the  Districts  of 
West  Tennessee  and  "Vicksburg  styles  this  affair  as  '  One  of  the  most 
daring  and  heroic  acts  of  the  war.' 

"  By  order  of  Major-general  E.  R.  S.  Canby. 

"C.  F.  CHRISTENSEN, 
"  Lieut.-col.,  Ass't  Ad jt. -general." 
"By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

"E.  D.  TOWNSEND,  Assistant  Adjutant-general." 


IN  THE  WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  341 

"  Headquarters  Twenty-fifth  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the  James, 

"In  the  Field,  Virginia,  February  20. 1865. 
' '  Orders  : 

"In  view  of  the  circumstances  under  which  this  corps  was  raised 
and  filled,  the  peculiar  claims  of  its  individual  members  upon  the  jus- 
tice and  fair  dealing  of  the  prejudiced,  and  the  regularity  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  troops,  which  deserve  those  equal  rights  that  have  been  hith- 
erto denied  the  majority,  the  commanding  general  has  been  induced  to 
adopt  the  Square  as  the  distinctive  badge  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Corps. 
Wherever  danger  has  been  found  and  glory  to  be  won,  the  heroes  who 
have  fought  for  immortality  have  been  distinguished  by  some  emblem, 
to  which  every  victory  added  a  new  lustre.'  They  looked  upon  their 
badge  with  pride,  for  to  it  they  had  given  its  fame;  in  the  homes  of 
smiling  peace  it  recalled  the  days  of  courage,  endurance,  and  the  hour 
of  deadly  strife,  and  it  solaced  the  moments  of  death,  for  it  was  a  sym- 
bol of  a  life  of  heroism  and  self-denial.  The  poets  will  sing  of  the 
'Templar's  Cross,'  'The  Crescent'  of  the  Turk,  'The  Chalice'  of  the 
hunted  Christian, and  the  'White  Plume'  of  Murat, that  crested  the 
wave  of  valor  sweeping  resistlessly  to  victory.  Soldiers,  to  you  is  a 
chance  in  this  spring  campaign  of  making  this  badge  immortal.  Let 
history  record  that  on  the  banks  of  the  James  River  thirty  thousand 
freemen  not  only  gained  their  own  liberty,  but  shattered  the  prejudice 
of  the  world,  and  gave  to  the  land  of  their  birth  peace,  union,  and  glory. 

"GODFREY  WEITZEL, 
"Major-general  Commanding." 

To  this  list  of  valiant  Negro  soldiers  may  be  added  the 
name  of  Captain  Robert  Smalls,  the  captor  of  the  steamer 
Planter.  Q>  y 

This  task  is  done  with  as  much  completeness  as  the 
condition  of  the  "War  Records,  many  of  which  are  in  the 
hands  of  the  printer,  will  allow  at  this  time ;  and  this  po- 
etical tribute,  with  the  entire  work,  is  offered  with  grate- 
ful patriotic  sentiments  by  the  author  to  his  comrades 
wherever  they  may  be  throughout  a  free  country  which 
their  valor  helped  to  save : 

THE   NEGRO    VOLUNTEER. 

They  struggled  and  fought,  with  courage  fraught, 

With  love  for  the  cause  of  the  Nation; 
They  knew  in  the  strife  for  the  Union's  life 

They  must  buy  Emancipation. 


INDEX. 


ADAMS,  JOHN  QUINCY,  on  the  war 
powers  of  the  Government,  147. 

Administration,  wavering  policy  of 
the,  in  1862, 105. 

African  slave-trade,  the,  a  South- 
ern convention  favors  reopening 
of,  59;  bewildering  effect  of,  on 
Northern  Democrats,  59. 

Alabama,  secession  of,  63. 

American  Army,  number  of  Ne- 
groes in  the,  during  Revolution- 
ary War,  35  (note). 

Andersonville  Prison,  description 
of,  304;  treatment  of  prisoners 
confined  in,  305  ;  death-rate  in, 
306 ;  action  of  confinement  in,  on 
prisoners,  306. 

Andrew,  John  A.,  Governor,  of 
Massachusetts,  criticises  action 
of  General  Butler  concerning 
hostile  Negroes,  69  ;  secures  au- 
thority to  raise  Negro  troops, 
103 ;  orders  their  recruitment, 
104 ;  enthusiasm  of  the  Negro 
citizens  over,  104. 

Arming  of  Negroes,  Northern 
statesmen  urge  the,  86. 

Army  Appropriation  Bill,  sections 
of,  covering  pay,  etc.,  of  Negro 
soldiers,  152 ;  decision  of  Attor- 
ney-general Bates  respecting, 
153. 


Army  of  King  Pepi,  Negroes  in 
the,  3,  4. 

Army  of  the  Cumberland,  Negro 
soldiers  in  the,  273. 

Army  of  the  James,  Negro  soldiers 
in  the,  291. 

Army  of  the  Potomac,  Negro  sol- 
diers in  the,  231. 

BANKS,  GENERAL  N.  P.,  organizes 
Corps  d'Armee  of  Negro  troops, 
113;  enthusiastic  response  to,  113. 

Barns,  H.,  of  Michigan,  urges  the 
military  employment  of  Negroes, 
131 ;  writes  to  Secretary  of  War 
concerning,  131 ;  authorized  to 
raise  a  regiment  of  Negro  volun- 
teers, 133 ;  organizes  the  One 
Hundred  and  Second  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  133. 

"Battle  of  the  Hundred  Pines," 
Negroes  in  the,  186. 

Battle  of  Olustee,  gallantry  of  Ne- 
gro troops  in  the,  204-208. 

Battle  of  Poison  Springs,  Negro 
troops  in  the,  228. 

Beauregard,  General  G.  T.,  letter 
of,  on  the  treatment  of  Negro 
prisoners  of  war,  313,  314. 

"Black  Brigade  of  Cincinnati," 
the,  324 ;  Judge  Wm.  M.  Dick- 
son  on,  325. 


344: 


IXDEX. 


Border  States,  feeling  against  the 
Negro  in  the,  177. 

Brazil,  Negroes  employed  in  the 
police  and  military  forces  of, 
40. 

Brown,  Captain  John,  takes  United 
States  arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
59 ;  throws  town  into  excitement, 
59;  hanging  of,  60;  execution  of 
Hazlitt  and  Stevens,  compatriots 
of,  60. 

Buell,  General  D.  C.,  declaration 
of,  on  the  harboring  of  fugitive 
slaves,  76. 

Butler,  Major-general  B.  F.,  inau- 
gurates a  new  policy  concerning 
slaves,  68;  letter  of,  to  Governor 
Hicks,  of  Maryland,  in  this  con- 
nection, 69 ;  his  action  criticised 
by  Governor  Andrew,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, 69  ;  declares  fugitive 
slaves  contraband  of  war,  70 ;  es- 
caped slaves  employed  by,  70; 
action  of,  approved  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  71 ;  comment  in  po- 
litical and  military  circles  con- 
cerning order  of,  respecting  f  ugi- 
tive  slaves,  71 ;  rates  Negroes  with 
mules,  wagons,  etc.,  72;  orders 
the  discharge  of  a  Negro  soldier, 
77 ;  correspondence  between,  and 
General  J.  W.  Phelps,  97  ;  issues 
appeal  to  Negroes  of  New  Or- 
leans to  enlist,  98  ;  response  to 
appeal  of,  99 ;  describes  the  part 
taken  by  Negro  troops  at  New 
Market  Heights,  254. 

CAILLOUX,  CAPTAIN  ANDRE,  218  ; 
bravery  of,  during  Port  Hudson 
assault,  219 ;  New  York  Times 
comments  on,  220. 

Cass,  Lewis,  Secretary  of  State,  res- 
ignation of,  63. 

Charleston   Convention,   seceding 


delegates  of,  nominate  Breckin- 
ridge  and  Lane  for  President  and 
Vice-President,  61. 

Chetlain,  A.  L.,  Brigadier-general, 
assigned  as  chief  of  the  recruit- 
ment of  Negro  troops  in  Ten- 
nessee, 124;  recommendation  of, 
by  General  Grant,  125 ;  estab- 
lishes his  headquarters  at  Mem- 
phis, 126  ;  his  sphere  of  influence 
extended  to  Kentucky,  126;  or- 
der of,  to  candidates  applying  for 
commissions  in  Negro  regiments, 
126;  regiments  organized  and  in- 
spected by,  127;  awarded  a  bre- 
vet major-generalship,  128. 

Clergy  of  the  North  urge  upon  the 
President  the  emancipation  of 
the  slaves  and  the  arming  of  the 
Negroes,  89. 

Clinton,  Sir  Henry,  proclamation 
of,  in  1779,  to  discourage  the  em- 
ployment of  Negroes,  28. 

Cobb,  Howell,  Secretary  of  Treas- 
ury, resignation  of,  62. 

Colored  officers  in  United  States 
Volunteer  Army,  141;  initiative 
taken  in  Massachusetts  in  com- 
missioning, 141 ;  commanding  in- 
dependent battery  at  Leaven- 
worth,  Kansas,  142. 

Computation  of  number  of  Ne- 
groes in  the  American  army  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  35. 

Confederate  Congress,  an  act  of 
the,  to  increase  the  efficiency  of 
the  army,  84;  act  of,  denying  the 
Negro  the  immunity  of  a  pris- 
oner of  war,  180;  considers  the 
employment  of  Negroes  in  the 
army,  292. 

Congress,  act  of,  in  1779,  for  rais- 
ing Negro  troops,  23;  passes  law 
in  1861  for  the  confiscation  of 
property  used  for  insurrection- 


INDEX. 


345 


ary  purposes,  73;  act  of,  eman- 
cipating the  slaves  of  rebels,  87. 

Connecticut,  governor  of,  organ- 
izes Negro  troops,  135;  casualty 
of  these  troops  on  the  field,  135. 

Constitutional  Union  Convention, 
meeting  of,  in  1860, 60 ;  nominates 
Bell  and  Everett  for  President 
and  Vice-President,  61. 

Cumberland,  Negro  soldiers  in  the 
Army  of  the,  273 ;  they  secure 
the  confidence  of  the  white  sol- 
diers by  their  bravery,  275;  ac- 
count of  the  fight  at  Dalton,  Ga., 
275 ;  Colonel  Morgan's  account 
of  engagement  by,  at  Pulaski, 
Tenn.,  277;  in  the  defence  of 
Decatur,  Ala.,  280  ;  casualty  of, 
in  this  defence,  281 ;  commended 
in  General  Orders,  281 ;  ordered 
to  Nashville  to  confront  Hood's 
army,  283 ;  skirmishes  during 
the  march,  284  ;  hailed  by  the 
white  veterans  as  their  peers,  285 ; 
they  open  the  battle  of  Nashville, 
286;  assistance  given  by,  in  rout- 
ing Hood's  army,  288;  tabulated 
statement  of  casualty  of,  289; 
General  Steedman's  comment 
upon  the  gallantry  of,  289. 

DAVIS,  JEFFERSON,  election  of,  as 
President  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy, 64. 

Deep  Bottom,  Va.,  Negro  troops  in 
action  at,  250 ;  commended  by 
Major-general  D.  B.  Birney,  251. 

Democratic  Party,  the,  degenera- 
tion of,  prior  to  the  Rebellion, 
58;  Southern  wing  of,  asserts  the 
right  to  buy,  sell,  and  transport 
slaves,  61 ;  Douglas  wing  of,  ad- 
heres to  the  doctrine  of  State 
sovereignty,  62. 

Department  of  the  South,  Negro 


troops  in  the,  181;  leading  a  for- 
lorn hope  in,  209;  commendation 
of,  for  gallantry  by  the  War  De- 
partment, 339,  340. 

Dix,  General  John  A.,  proclama- 
tion by,  to  people  of  Virginia, 
74;  issues  orders  to  the  troops 
regarding  persons  held  to  domes- 
tic servitude,  74. 

Draft  Riots,  the,  in  New  York,  174; 
inoffensive  Negroes  the  objects 
of  the  rioters'  wrath,  174;  sav- 
agery of  the  mob,  174;  diabolical 
work  of  human  fiends  during, 
175  ;  the  quality  of  men  who 
forced  the,  176. 

Drilling  of  Negroes  by  "  nomarchs, 
chancellors, "etc.,  3,  4. 

Dumas,  General  Alexander  Davy, 
military  career  of,  in  France,  36; 
valor  of,  at  the  Battle  of  Brixen, 
37;  death  of,  37. 

Duumore,  Earl  of,  issues  procla- 
mation to  Virginia  slaves,  16;  ef- 
fect of  proclamation  on  civil  and 
military  officials,  16  ;  Virginia 
Convention  issues  an  answer  to, 
18;  waning  influence  of,  21. 

EGYPTIAN  ARMY,  strength  of,  esti- 
mated by  Herodotus,  2;  by  Dio- 
dorus,  2;  divisions  of  the,  2. 

Egyptian  Empire,  beginning  of 
military  epoch  of  the,  1. 

Egyptians,  position  of  soldiers 
among  the,  1  (note). 

Emilio,  Captain  Luis  F.,  in  the  as- 
sault upon  Fort  Wagner,  196; 
bravery  of,  196 ;  receives  the 
thanks  of  General  Stevenson  for 
his  assistance,  198. 

England,  employment  of  Negro 
troops  in  the  army  of,  38;  exclu- 
sive Negro  regiments  in  the  Brit- 
ish West  Indies,  39. 


346 


INDEX. 


' '  Enrolment  Act, "  Negroes  includ- 
ed under,  136;  provisions  of,  137, 
138;  opinion  of  Judge  Advocate 
Holt  on  passages  in,  concerning 
the  employment  of  Negroes,  138, 
139. 

Establishment  at  Washington  of  a 
bureau  for  the  conduct  of  mat- 
ters referring  to  Negro  troops, 
113. 

Estimate  of  slave  population  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolution,  19. 

Estimated  number  of  Negroes  re- 
cruited by  the  Bureau  for  the 
Organization  of  Colored  Troops, 
136. 

Exclusion  of  the  Negro  slave  from 
printing-offices,  etc.,  67. 

Execution  of  Hazlitt  and  Stevens, 
compatriots  of  John  Brown,  60. 

FEDERALISTS  and  planters,  excite- 
ment of,  at  Lord  Dunmore's  proc- 
lamation to  Virginia  Negroes, 
18. 

Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regi- 
ment, the,  191 ;  under  General 
Terry  on  James  Island,  192 ; 
"two- o'clock- in- the- morning" 
courage  of,  192 ;  exhaustive  march 
of,  to  participate  in  the  assault 
upon  Fort  Wagner,  193  ;  arrival 
of,  at  General  Strong's  head- 
quarters, 195;  addressed  by  Col- 
onel Shaw  and  General  Strong, 
195 ;  participation  of,  in  the  as- 
sault upon  Fort  Wagner,  196  ;  in- 
teresting letter  concerning  bra- 
very of ,  during  the  assault,  196; 
casualty  of,  during  action,  199; 
medals  awarded  to  soldiers  of, 
199;  in  the  battle  of  Olustee,  204; 
in  the  battle  of  Honey  Hill,  211. 

First  North  Carolina  Regiment, 
the,  in  the  battle  of  Olustee,  207. 


First  South  Carolina  Regiment, 
the,  at  St.  Helena  Island,  181 ;  in 
the  expedition  along  the  coasts 
of  Georgia  and  East  Florida,  181 ; 
bravery  of,  in  this  expedition, 
182;  in  an  expedition  from  Beau- 
fort, S.  C.,  to  Deboy  River,  Ga., 
182;  report  of,  by  General  Sax- 
ton,  182;  in  an  expedition  to  se- 
cure Negro  recruits  in  Georgia 
and  Florida,  182 ;  indefatigable 
courage  of,  185;  action  of,  on  the 
St.  Mary's  River,  186;  success  of, 
in  the  Georgia  and  Florida  expe- 
dition, 187 ;  company  of,  under 
Captain  Trowbridge,  on  the  Flor- 
ida coast,  187  ;  comment  by  the 
New  York  Times  on  the  expedi- 
tion, 188;  in  an  expedition  up  the 
St.  John's  River,  189;  graphic  ac- 
count by  a  war  correspondent  of 
the  expedition,  189,  191. 

Florida,  secession  of,  63. 

Floyd,  John  B.,  Secretary  of  War, 
resignation  of,  63. 

Fort  Harrison,  capture  of,  252 ; 
brilliant  and  daring  work  by  Ne- 
gro troops  at,  252 ;  gallant  de- 
fence of,  253 ;  the  Negro  troops 
commended  in  General  Orders 
for  courage  at,  253. 

Fort  Pillow,  massacre  at,  257 ;  bru- 
tal slaughter  of  the  garrison  of, 
260;  official  testimony  given  be- 
fore a  Congressional  committee 
concerning  the  massacre  at,  261- 
265 ;  rebel  testimony  on  the  bury- 
ing alive  of  Negroes  at,  265 ;  Gen- 
eral Forrest's  attempt  to  justify 
his  action  at,  266;  extracts  from 
correspondence  between  Gener- 
als Lee  and  Washburn  concern- 
ing, 267;  report  of  sub-commit- 
tee from  the  Senate  and  House 
to  investigate,  269-272;  War 


INDEX. 


347 


Department  record  of  casualty 
at,  272. 

Fort  Powhatan,  battle  of,  233;  gal- 
lant defence  of,  by  the  Negro  sol- 
diers in,  233;  casualty  of  the  Ne- 
gro troops  at,  234;  the  New  York 
Times  comments  on,  234. 

Fort  Wagner,  assault  upon,  193; 
participation  of  the  Fifty-fourth 
Massachusetts  in,  196;  list  of  cas- 
ualties during,  199. 

France,  Negroes  not  proscribed 
from  entering  army  of,  36;  mu- 
lattoes  not  addressed  as  Negroes 
in,  36 ;  no  obstruction  to  ambi- 
tion of  the  Negroes  in,  36. 

Fremont,  General  John  C.,  procla- 
mation of,  declaring  Negroes 
free  men,  73  ;  moral  influence 
of  proclamation  throughout  the 
South,  73;  his  action  not  approv- 
ed by  the  President,  74;  removal 
of,  74. 

GEORGIA  and  Florida  expedition, 
Negro  soldiers  in  the,  181 ;  their 
bravery  in  the,  182 ;  success  of 
the,  187. 

Government,  United  States,  North- 
ern Negroes  pledge  themselves 
to  support  the,  87 ;  their  offers 
unnoticed  by  the,  87 ;  John  Quin- 
cy  Adams  on  the  war  powers  of 
the,  147;  policy  of  the,  respecting 
the  arming  of  Negroes,  160, 161. 

Grant,  General  U.  S. ,  orders  issued 
by,  respecting  slaves  at  Fort 
Donelson,  75  ;  letter  of  General 
Halleck  to,  on  the  arming  of  Ne- 
groes, 106;  hastens  the  organiz- 
ing of  Negro  troops  in  his  De- 
partment, 108. 

Greeley,  Horace,  editorial  of,  to  the 
President  relative  to  the  question 
of  slavery,  79 ;  urges  the  enforce- 


ment of  the  "  Confiscation  Act," 
80 ;  views  of,  respecting  the  Ne- 
gro troops  in  garrison,  165. 

HALLECK,  GENERAL,  W.  H.,  orders 
issued  by,  forbidding  slaves  with- 
in his  lines  or  camps,  75  ;  letter 
of,  to  General  Grant  outlining 
the  policy  of  the  Government  in 
arming  Negroes,  106  ;  reply  of 
General  Grant  to,  108. 

Hamlin,  Hannibal,  election  of,  as 
Vice-President,  62. 

Hayti,  Negro  soldiers  in,  40. 

Higginson,  Colonel  T.  W.,  quoted 
concerning  the  bounty  and  pay 
of  the  Negro  troops,  155,  156; 
letters  from,  to  the  New  York 
Tribune  and  New  York  Times  on 
the  subject,  157-160 ;  first  colo- 
nel to  lead  a  Negro  regiment, 
181 ;  commands  the  First  South 
Carolina  Volunteers  in  the  Beau- 
fort, S.  C.,  expedition,  182;  com- 
mands the  same  regiment  in  the 
St.  John's  River  expedition,  189. 

Honey  Hill,  battle  of,  209;  Negro 
troops  in,  210 ;  desperate  fight- 
ing of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massa- 
chusetts in,  211 ;  Confederate  ac- 
count of  the,  212. 

Hooker,  General  Joseph,  author- 
izes citizens  of  Maryland  to 
search  for  fugitive  slaves  in  his 
camp,  76 ;  result  of  such  author- 
ity, 77. 

Hunter,  Major-general  David,  de- 
clares the  States  of  Georgia, 
Florida,  and  South  Carolina  un- 
der martial  law,  79  ;  proclaims 
the  slaves  of  these  States  "for- 
ever free,"  79;  abrogation  of  the 
order  of,  by  the  President,  79 ; 
issues  orders  for  the  recruitment 
of  a  Negro  regiment,  90 ;  or- 


348 


INDEX. 


ganizes  the  "First  South  Caro- 
lina Regiment, "  90 ;  opposed  for 
this  action,  90;  resolution  intro- 
duced in  Congress  respecting  his 
Negro  regiment,  91 ;  letter  of,  to 
Secretary  of  War  in  answer  to 
the  resolution,  92-94;  his  com- 
munication ordered  read  in  the 
House,  94;  gives  freedom  papers 
to  slaves  who  enlisted,  95 ;  not 
supported  by  the  Administra- 
tion in  his  noble  effort,  95  (note). 

IDIOSYNCRACIES  of  the  Negro,  167- 
169. 

Indiana,  Governor  of,  authorized 
to  raise  a  Negro  regiment,  186; 
it  serves  in  the  Army  of  the 
James,  136. 

Indies,  British  West,  exclusive  Ne- 
gro regiments  in  the,  39. 

Inscriptions  of  Una,  Negroes  men- 
tioned in  the,  1. 

JACKSON,  GENERAL  ANDREW,  is- 
sues appeal  to  free  Negroes  to 
join  his  army,  55  ;  addresses  the 
Negro  troops  in  front  of  New 
Orleans,  56 ;  promises  Negro  vol- 
unteers equal  pay,  etc.,  of  white 
soldiers,  151. 

James,  Army  of  the,  Negro  troops 
in,  291 ;  they  participate  in  the 
battle  of  Five  Forks,  294 ;  cour- 
age of,  in  the  fight,  296;  in  the 
assault  before  Petersburg,  298; 
reception  of,  on  entering  Peters- 
burg, 300;  they  head  the  Union 
column  on  entering  Richmond, 
301 ;  magnanimity  of,  after  Lee's 
surrender,  303. 

James  Island,  Negroes  under  Gen- 
eral A.  H.  Terry  on,  192 

Joux,  dungeon  of,  imprisonment  of 
Toussaint  L'Ouverture  at,  53. 


KANSAS,  initiative  taken  by,  in  rais- 
ing Negro  troops,  101 ;  organizes 
the  first  regiment  of  Northern 
Negroes,  101. 

Kench,  Thomas,  presents  plan  in 
1778  for  raising  Negro  troops, 
25 ;  letter  of,  to  the  Council  in 
Boston  concerning  the  freedom 
of  Negroes,  26. 

King  Pepi,  Negroes  in  the  army  of, 
3,4. 

LEGAL  status  of  the  Negro  soldier, 
the,  145. 

Legislature,  New  York,  enacts  a 
law,  in  1814,  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  two  Negro  regiments,  57. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  election  of,  as 
President,  62 ;  feeling  in  the 
South  and  North  regarding,  62  ; 
formal  declaration  of  the  election 
of,  by  the  Electoral  College,  64; 
inauguration  of,  as  President,  65 ; 
opposition  of,  to  the  employment 
of  Negroes  as  soldiers,  88 ;  the 
New  York  Herald  on  decision  of, 
88;  issues  an  emancipation  proc- 
lamation, 105 ;  declares  the  slaves 
forever  free,  106;  extracts  of  let- 
ters from,  referring  to  the  ene- 
mies of  the  Negro,  176,  177  ; 
treats  on  the  Negro  question  in 
his  message  to  Congress  in  1863, 
178 ;  reviews  the  Negro  troops 
in  the  Army  of  the  James,  293. 

Louisiana  Native  Guards,  First  and 
Third  regiments  of,  215 ;  in  the 
assault  upon  Port  Hudson,  215; 
undaunted  valor  of,  217 ;  conduct 
of  the,  cited,  219 ;  remarks  of  Gen- 
eral Halleck  on  heroism  of,  221. 

Louisiana  Native  Guards,  Second 
Regiment  of,  221;  under  Colonel 
Daniels  in  the  battle  of  East  Pas- 
cagoula,  222;  success  of,  223;  re- 


INDEX. 


349 


port  of,  to  General  T.  W.  Sher- 
man, 223. 

Louisiana,  secession  of,  64. 

L'Ouverture,  Toussaint,  birth  of, 
41 ;  espouses  the  cause  of  Spain, 

42  ;   commissioned  a  brigadier- 
general,  42  ;  his  first  battle,  42 ; 
as  a  student  of  military  books, 

43  ;  defeats  the  French  at  Don- 
don,  43  ;  origin  of  the  affix  to 
his    name,   43  ;    administrative 
ability  of,  44;  hailed  as  Le  noir 
Napoleon  in  military  circles,  44; 
appointed  commander -in -chief 
of  the  army  of  Santo  Domingo, 
44;  speech  of,  at  his  inaugura- 
tion, 45;  issues  a  general  amnes- 
ty at  Cayes  in  1800,  45  ;  his  noble 
sentiments  in  the  constitution  of, 
46;  Napoleon  plots  the  destruc- 
tion of,  47;  repulses  the  French 
at  Santo  Domingo,  48-51 ;  Napo- 
leon's strategy  to  apprehend,  52; 
imprisonment  of,  in  the  dungeon 
of  Joux,  53;  death  of,  54. 

MCCLELLAN,  GENERAL  GEORGE  B., 
proclamation  of,  against  forcible 
abolition  of  slavery,  77 ;  corre- 
spondence of,  with  William  H. 
Seward,  Secretary  of  State,  re- 
garding, 78. 

Martial  valor  of  the  Negro  soldier, 
320  ;  Secretary  of  War  quoted 
on,  320;  testimony  of  prominent 
military  men  on,  321-323. 

Massachusetts,  roll  of  Negro  repre- 
sentatives of,  in  the  army,  33. 

Mexico,  Negroes  not  discriminated 
nor  proscribed  in,  55. 

Military  rendition  of  slaves,  66. 

Milliken's  Bend,  battle  of,  224;  Ne- 
gro troops  in  the,  224;  casualty 
at  the,  225 ;  account  of  the,  by 
Captain  Matthew  Miller,  226. 


Mississippi,  secession  of,  63. 

Mississippi  Valley,  Negro  troops  in 
the,  214. 

Monument,  a  proposed,  to  brave 
Negro  soldiers,  328,  329,  332. 

Morgan,  Lieutenant-colonel  Thom- 
as J.,  appointment  of,  to  recruit 
Negroes  in  the  Department  of 
the  Cumberland,  130;  fitness  of, 
for  the  command,  130;  extracts 
of  letters  from,  on  the  position 
of  colored  troops  in  the  army, 
162, 163;  forces  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  change  the  policy  of  em- 
ploying Negroes  as  laborers,  164. 

"  Mulatto  War,"  the,  in  Hayti,  be- 
ginning of,  42. 

NATIONAL  Democratic  party,  meet- 
ing of,  in  1860,  60;  fruitless  la- 
bor of,  on  slavery  question,  60. 

Negro,  the,  in  the  military  history 
of  Egypt,  1-6 ;  sudden  disappear- 
ance of ,  in  Egyptian  history,  7; 
depiction  of,  on  ancient  tombs, 
7, 8 ;  military  employment  of  the, 
three  thousand  years  before  the 
Christian  era,  8 ;  reappearance 
of,  in  history,  10  ;  as  a  solution 
of  the  labor  problem  in  North 
America,  10 ;  non-combativeness 
of,  during  the  slave  traffic,  11 ; 
part  taken  by,  in  the  beginning 
of  the  struggle  for  independence 
in  America,  11, 12.;  conspicuous 
in  the  first  battle  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  12;  his  employment 
as  a  soldier  considered  in  1775, 
13;  prohibited  from  being  em- 
ployed in  the  army,  14;  General 
Gates  forbids  the  enlistment  of 
the,  14 ;  his  military  status  dis- 
cussed by  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, 14;  arming  of,  discussed 
at  a  council  of  war  in  1775,  15; 


350 


INDEX. 


Royalists  awake  to  the  policy  of 
the  Continental  authorities  con- 
cerning the,  16;  General  Thom- 
as quoted  concerning  prejudice 
against  the,  17;  solicited  to  adopt 
the  Continental  uniform,  21. 

Negro  chaplains  commissioned 
during  the  war,  144. 

Negro  surgeons  commissioned  dur- 
ing the  war,  143. 

Negroes,  official  return  of  number 
of,  under  General  Washington, 
22 ;  enactment  by  Congress  in 
1779  for  the  raising  of  troops  of, 
23;  Act  of  General  Assembly  in 
1778  giving  freedom  to,  who  en- 
list, 24;  letter  to  Boston  Council 
concerning  freedom  of,  26;  New 
England  colonies  accept  the  arm- 
ing of,  as  inevitable,  27;  procla- 
mation of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  to 
discourage  employment  of,  in 
the  Continental  Army,  28 ;  roll 
of  Massachusetts,  represented  in 
the  army,  33 ;  number  of,  in 
American  army  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, 35  (note)  ;  position  of,  in 
France,  36;  employment  of,  in 
the  British  army,  38;  position  of, 
in  Brazil  and  Hayti,  40  ;  in  the 
War  of  1812,  55;  incorporation 
of  two  regiments  of,  in  New 
York,  in  1814,  57;  recruits  in  the 
United  States  army  in  1815,  57; 
their  employment  in  the  Union 
army  derided,  66 ;  Northern 
statesmen  urge  the  arming  of, 
86;  provisions  of  the  "Enrol- 
ment Act "  appertaining  to  the, 
137,  138;  idiosyncracies  of  the, 
167-169;  martial  valor  of  the, 
as  soldiers,  320-323  ;  proposed 
monument  to  commemorate 
bravery  of,  as  soldiers,  328,  329, 
332. 


OBSTACLES  confronting  the  em- 
ployment of  the  Negro,  173. 

Official  return  of  the  number  of 
Negroes  under  General  Washing- 
ton, 22. 

Oge,  Lieutenant-colonel,  41 ;  brav- 
ery of,  at  Cape  Haytien,  41 ;  ef- 
fect of  the  death  of,  on  the  Ne- 
groes, 42. 

Olustee,  battle  of,  Negro  troops  in 
the,  204,  208. 

PERU,  canonization  of  Negro 
priests  in,  40. 

Petersburg,  reduction  of,  234 ;  par- 
ticipation of  a  Negro  division  in, 
235;  graphic  account  of  the,  236; 
casualties  sustained  in,  239;  Ma- 
jor-general Smith's  report  of, 
240 ;  the  Negro  division  com- 
mended for  bravery  at,  242 ;  loss 
sustained  by  the  Negro  division 
in  front  of,  243;  the  fitness  of  the 
"  Black  Division  "  to  charge  the 
fort  at,  considered,  244  ;  mining 
of  the  fort  at,  248;  gallantry  of 
the  Negro  soldiers  in  the  action, 
249;  testimony  of  officers  as  to 
the  bravery  of  the  Negro  sol- 
diers at,  250. 

Phelps,  General  J.  W.,  favors  the 
employing  of  Negroes,  96 ;  com- 
municates with  General  Butler 
concerning,  97;  result  of  the  cor- 
respondence, 98. 

Philadelphia,  recruitment  of  Ne- 
groes in,  119, 120. 

Poison  Springs,  battle  of,  228;  Ne- 
gro volunteers  in,  228;  casualty 
sustained  in,  230. 

Policy  of  the  Government  on  the 
employment  of  Negroes,  160,161. 

Potomac,  Army  of  the,  231  ;  Ne- 
groes in,  231. 

Public  confidence  versus  the  Ne- 


.      INDEX. 


351 


gro,  170 ;  the  New   York  Times 
comments  on,  171-173. 

RAWLINSON,  PROFESSOK,  assertion 
of,  regarding  Negroes  in  Egyp- 
tian army,  4  ;  criticism  on,  4 ; 
quoted  concerning  Negroes  in 
the  army  of  Pepi,  5. 

Reed,  Lieutenant -colonel  William 
N.(  141. 

Representatives,  House  of,  enacts 
law  prohibiting  the  return  of  fu- 
gitive slaves,  87. 

Republican  Party,  the,  before  the 
Rebellion,  58;  opposition  of,  to 
the  extension  of  slavery  into  the 
Territories  in  1860,  61. 

Retrospect  of  the  Civil  War,  325- 
327. 

Rider,  Sidney  S.,  criticised  con- 
cerning the  black  regiment  of 
Rhode  Island,  31,  32  (note). 

Ripley,  General  R.  S.,  returns  State 
colors  lost  at  Fort  Wagner,  201 ; 
letter  of,  to  Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, 201. 

Roll  of  Honor  of  Negro  soldiers, 
the,  333-339. 

SECRETARY  OP  WAR,  order  of,  in 
1862,  to  enlist  Negroes,  100. 

Shaw,  Colonel  Robert  Gould,  in  the 
assault  upon  Fort  Wagner,  195; 
addresses  the  Fifty-fourth  Mas- 
sachusetts Regiment,  195;  death 
of,  at  Fort  Wagner,  202 ;  letter 
from  the  father  of,  protesting 
against  the  removal  of  his  son's 
body,  203;  poem  on  the  death  of, 
203;  the  commanding  character 
of,  330 ;  his  memory  cherished  by 
the  blacks  of  the  South,  331 ;  pro- 
posed park  to  be  named  for  him, 
331 ;  a  type  of  the  exalted  Ameri- 
can patriot,  331. 


Sherman,  General  Thomas  W., 
proclamation  of,  to  the  people  of 
South  Carolina,  74;  assures  the 
people  of  South  Carolina  that 
their  "local  institution"  would 
remain  undisturbed,  74. 

Slavery  question,  the,  before  the 
Rebellion,  58;  appealed  to  the 
Court  of  Civil  War,  65;  has  no 
place  in  the  early  military  policy 
of  the  Union  Army,  68  ;  waver- 
ing policy  of  the  United  States 
Government  regarding,  68. 

Slavery,  position  occupied  by,  in 
the  United  States,  147. 

Slaves,  prohibition  of  the  manu- 
mission of,  in  Maryland  in  1860, 
61 ;  Major-general  Benjamin  F. 
Butler  inaugurates  a  new  policy 
concerning,  68. 

South,  initiative  taken  by  the,  in 
1861,  in  employing  Negroes  as 
soldiers,  81 ;  opens  recruiting  of- 
fice for  free  Negroes  at  Memphis, 
81 ;  establishes  Bureau  for  Con- 
scriptions, 85. 

Sprague,  Governor,  of  Rhode  Isl- 
and, appeals  to  the  Negroes  to 
enlist,  98. 

Stearns,  Major  G.  L.,  appointment 
of,  to  organize  Negro  troops,  120; 
refusal  of  General  Couch  to  ac- 
cept troops  from,  121;  letter  to, 
from  the  Secretary  of  War,  122; 
opposition  of,  to  the  wholesale 
impressment  of  Negroes,  122; 
an  abolitionist,  not  a  slave-catch- 
er, 123  ;  telegrams  between  the 
War  Department  and,  123,  124; 
resignation  of,  124 ;  makes  good 
the  dishonored  faith  of  the  Gov- 
ernment in  the  paying  of  Ne- 
groes, 155. 

TENNESSEE,  enactment  of  law  by, 


352 


INDEX.     . 


in  1861,  for  the  relief  of  Negro 
volunteers,  82. 

Texas,  secession  of,  64. 

Thomas,  General  Lorenzo,  announ- 
ces the  policy  of  the  Administra- 
tion in  1868  to  the  United  States 
Army,  109,  111 ;  charges  the  sol- 
diers to  receive  and  encourage 
Negroes,  110;  enthusiasm  at  the 
North  regarding  this  action  of, 
111;  despatched  to  the  South- 
west to  enlarge  the  scope  of  the 
enlistment  of  Negroes,  114;  suc- 
cess of,  136. 

Thomas,  General,  in  1775,  con- 
cerning prejudice  to  the  Negroes, 
17. 

Thompson,  Jacob,  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  resignation  of,  63. 

Times,  New  York,  editorial  of,  on 
the  employment  of  the  Negro, 
171-173. 

"  Tirailleurs  Algeriens, "  38. 

Tod,  Governor,  of  Ohio,  insists  on 
equal  pay  and  bounty  for  Negro 
troops,  133 ;  encourages  the  re- 
cruitment of  Negro  troops  in 
Ohio  for  Massachusetts,  133, 134; 
organizes  two  regiments  and  for- 
wards them  to  the  field,  135. 

Tyler,  Colonel,  speech  of,  to  West 
Virginia  rebels,  72. 

ULLMANN,  BRIGADIER  -  GENERAL 
Daniel,  urges  upon  President  Lin- 
coln the  employment  of  Ne- 
groes, 102 ;  authorized  to  organ- 
ize Negro  troops,  102;  remarks 
of,  concerning  Negro  troops,  102. 

Una,  Inscription  of,  1  (note). 

Union  Army,  number  of  Negroes 
in  the,  during  the  Civil  War,  139, 
140. 

Union  League  Club  of  New  York, 
the,  devises  means  for  raising  Ne- 


gro troops,  116;  obtains  the  con- 
sent of  the  War  Department  to 
recruit  a  regiment  of  Negroes, 
117;  organizes  the  Twentieth 
Regiment  of  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  117 ;  reception  giv- 
en by,  to  the  Twentieth  Regi- 
ment United  States  Colored 
Troops,  179;  comment  of  a  New 
York  paper  on,  179. 

VOLUNTEER  ARMY,  United  States, 
Negro  officers  in,  141 ;  number 
of  Negro  soldiers  in,  324;  casu- 
alty of  these  troops  in,  324. 

WALL,  CAPTAIN  O.  S.  B. ,  as  re- 
cruiting -  officer  in  Ohio,  142  ; 
proposition  of  Secretary  Stanton 
to,  142;  Colonel  Foster  refuses  to 
examine,  for  a  captaincy,  143; 
executive  ability  of,  143. 

Wall,  Sergeant  John,  mention  of, 
199. 

War  Department,  the,  establishes 
Negro  recruiting  -  stations,  115; 
credits  State  and  county  with 
furnishing  recruits,  115;  creates 
boards  to  determine  the  claims 
of  owners,  116;  appointment  of 
a  commissioner  by,  to  organize 
Negro  troops,  120;  order  of,  to 
General  W.  T.  Sherman  respect- 
ing the  employment  of  Negroes, 
150;  interprets  the  pay  of  the 
Negro  volunteer,  154. 

War,  treatment  of  Negro  soldiers 
as  prisoners  of,  304  ;  proclama- 
tion of  Jefferson  Davis  on,  308; 
editorial  extract  of  New  York 
Tribune  on,  311;  action  of  the 
Confederate  Army  concerning, 
at  Port  Hudson,  312;  President 
Lincoln  issues  order  relative  to, 
318;  letter  of  General  Beaure- 
gard  on,  314;  cruelty  of  the  Con- 


INDEX. 


353 


federates  to,  315 ;  correspondence 
between  Generals  Peck  and  Pick- 
ett  on,  316,  317;  cowardly  action 
of  rebel  soldiers  to,  318;  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  orders  the  protec- 
tion of,  318;  arraignment  of  the 
Confederate  Army  and  Congress 
for  their,  319. 

War  of  1812,  the,  participation  of 
Negroes  in  the  land  and  naval 
forces  of,  55. 


Washington,  General  George, 
quoted  concerning  Lord  Dun- 
more's  proclamation,  19;  author- 
izes the  enlistment  of  ' '  free  Ne- 
groes, "19. 

YATES,  RICHARD,  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois, authorized  to  raise  Negro 
troops,  133;  organizes  the  Twen- 
ty-ninth Regiment  of  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  133. 


THE    END. 


VALUABLE  AND  INTERESTING  WORKS 

FOR 


PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK, 


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CW~  HARPER  &  BROTHERS  will  send  their  publications  by  mail,  postage  prepaid,  on 
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MACAULAY'S  ENGLAND.  The  History  of  England  from  the  Ac- 
cession of  James  II.  By  THOMAS  BABINGTON  MACAULAY.  New 
Edition,  from  New  Electrotype  Plates.  5  vols.,  in  a  Box,  8vo,  Cloth, 
with  Paper  Labels,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $10  00;  Sheep, 
$12  50;  Half  Calf,  $21  25.  Sold  only  in  Sets.  Cheap  Edition, 
5  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

MACAULAY'S  MISCELLANEOUS  WORKS.  The  Miscellaneous 
Works  of  Lord  Macaulay.  From  New  Electrotype  Plates.  5  vols., 
in  a  Box,  8vo,  Cloth,  with  Paper  Labels,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt 
Tops,  $10  00;  Sheep,  $12  50;  Half  Calf,  $21  25.  Sold  only  in 
Sets. 

HUME'S  ENGLAND.  History  of  England,  from  the  Invasion  of 
Julius  Caesar  to  the  Abdication  of  James  II.,  1688.  By  DAVID 
HUME.  New  and  Elegant  Library  Edition,  from  New  Electrotype 
Plates.  6  vols.,  in  a  Box,  8vo,  Cloth,  with  Paper  Labels,  Uncut 
Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $12  00;  Sheep,  $15  00;  Half  Calf,  $25  50. 
Sold  only  in  Sets.  Popular  Edition,  6  vols.,  in  a  Box,  12mo,  Cloth, 
$300. 

GIBBON'S  ROME.  The  History  of  the  Decline-  and  Fall  of  the  Ro- 
man Empire.  By  EDWARD  GIBBON.  With  Notes  by  Dean  MIL- 
MAN,  M.  GUIZOT,  and  Dr.  WILLIAM  SMITH.  New  Edition,  from 
New  Electrotype  Plates.  6  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  with,  Paper  Labels, 
Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $12  00;  Sheep,  $15  00;  Half  Calf, 
$25  50.  Sold  only  in  Sets.  Popular  Edition,  6  vols.,  in  a  Box, 
12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00  ;  Sheep,  $6  00. 

GOLDSMITH'S  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Oliver  Goldsmith.  Edited 
by  PETER  CUNNINGHAM,  F.S.A.  From  New  Electrotype  Plates. 
4  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  Paper  Labels,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops, 
$8  00  ;  Sheep,  $10  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $17  00. 


2  Taluabh  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

MOTLEY'S  DUTCH  REPUBLIC.  The  Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic. 
A  History.  By  JOHN  LOTHKOP  MOTLEY,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  With  a 
Portrait  of  William  of  Orange.  Cheap  Edition,  3  vols.,  in  a  Box. 
8vo,  Cloth,  with  Paper  Labels,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $6  00; 
Sheep,  $7  50;  Half  Calf,  $12  75.  Sold  only  in  Sets.  Original 
Library  Edition,  3  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  50. 

MOTLEY'S  UNITED  NETHERLANDS.  History  of  the  United 
Netherlands :  From  the  Death  of  William  the  Silent  to  the  Twelve 
Years'  Truce — 1584-1609.  With  a  full  View  of  the  English-Dutch 
Struggle  against  Spain,  and  of  the  Origin  and  Destruction  of  the 
Spanish  Armada.  By  JOHN  LOTHROP  MOTLEY,  LL.D.,  D.C.L. 
Portraits.  Cheap  Edition,  4  vols.,  in  a  Box,  8vo,  Cloth,  with  Paper 
Labels,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $8  00 ;  Sheep,  $10  00 ;  Half 
Calf,  $17  00.  Sold  only  in  Sets.  Original  Library  Edition,  4  vols., 
8vo,  Cloth,  $14  00. 

MOTLEY'S  JOHN  OF  BARNEVELD.  The  Life  and  Death  of  John 
of  Barneveld,  Advocate  of  Holland.  With  a  View  of  the  Primary 
Causes  and  Movements  of  the  "  Thirty  Years'  War."  By  JOHN 
LOTHROP  MOTLEY,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  Illustrated.  Cheap  Edition, 
2  vols.,  in  a  Box,  8vo,  Cloth,  with  Paper  Labels,  Uncut  Edges  and 
Gilt  Tops,  $4  00 ;  Sheep,  $5  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $8  50.  Sold  only  in 
Sets.  Original  Library  Edition,  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $7  00. 

HILDRETH'S  UNITED  STATES.  History  of  the  United  States. 
FIRST  SERIES  :  From  the  Discovery  of  the  Continent  to  the  Or- 
ganization of  the  Government  under  the  Federal  Constitution.  SEC- 
OND SERIES  :  From  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  to  the 
End  of  the  Sixteenth  Congress.  By  RICHARD  HILDRETH.  Popular 
Edition,  6  vols.,  in  a  Box,  8vo,  Cloth,  with  Paper  Labels,  Uncut 
Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $12  00 ;  Sheep,  $15  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $25  50. 
Sold  only  in  Sets. 

LODGE'S  ENGLISH  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA.  English  Colo- 
nies in  America.  A  Short  History  of  the  English  Colonies  in  Amer- 
ica. By  HENRY  CABOT  LODGE.  New  and  Revised  Edition.  8vo, 
Half  Leather,  $3  00. 

TREVELYAN'S  LIFE  OF  MACAULAY.  The  Life  and  Letters  of 
Lord  Macaulay.  By  his  Nephew,  G.  OTTO  TREVELYAN,  M.P. 
With  Portrait  on  Steel.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt 
Tops,  $5  00 ;  Sheep,  $6  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $9  50.  Popular  Edition, 
2  vols.  in  one,  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

TREVELYAN'S  LIFE  OF  FOX.  The  Early  History  of  Charles 
James  Fox.  By  GEORGE  OTTO  TREVELYAN.  8vo,  Cloth,  Uncut 
Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $2  50 ;  Half  Calf,  $4  75. 


Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries.  3 

WRITINGS  AND  SPEECHES  OF  SAMUEL  J.  TILDEN.  Edited 
by  JOHN  BIGELOW.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  Gilt  Tops  and  Uncut  Edges, 
$6  00  per  set. 

GENERAL  DIX'S  MEMOIRS.  Memoirs  of  John  Adams  Dix.  Com- 
piled by  his  Son,  MORGAN  Dix.  With  Five  Steel-plate  Portraits. 
2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  Gilt  Tops  and  Uncut  Edges,  $5  00. 

HUNT'S  MEMOIR  OF  MRS.  LIVINGSTON.  A  Memoir  of  Mrs. 
Edward  Livingston.  With  Letters  hitherto  Unpublished.  By  LOU- 
ISE LIVINGSTON  HUNT.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  25. 

GEORGE  ELIOT'S  LIFE.  George  Eliot's  Life,  Related  in  her  Let- 
ters and  Journals.  Arranged  and  Edited  by  her  Husband,  J.  W. 
CROSS.  Portraits  and  Illustrations.  In  Three  Volumes.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $3  75.  New  Edition,  with  Fresh  Matter.  (Uniform  with 
"Harper's  Library  Edition  "  of  George  Eliot's  Works.) 

PEARS'S  FALL  OF  CONSTANTINOPLE.  The  -Fall  of  Constan- 
tinople. Being  the  Story  of  the  Fourth  Crusade.  By  EDWIN 
PEARS,  LL.B.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

RANKE'S  UNIVERSAL  HISTORY.  The  Oldest  Historical  Group 
of  Nations  and  the  Greeks.  By  LEOPOLD  VON  RANKE.  Edited  by 
G.  W.  PROTHERO,  Fellow  and  Tutor  of  King's  College,  Cambridge. 
Vol.  I.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF  THE  REV.  SYDNEY  SMITH.  A  Sketch 
of  the  Life  and  Times  of  the  Rev.  Sydney  Smith.  Based  on  Family 
Documents  and  the  Recollections  of  Personal  Friends.  By  STUART 
J.  REID.  With  Steel-plate  Portrait  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$3  00. 

STORMONTH'S  ENGLISH  DICTIONARY.  A  Dictionary  of  the 
English  Language,  Pronouncing,  Etymological,  and  Explanatory : 
embracing  Scientific  and  other  Terms,  Numerous  Familiar  Terms, 
and  a  Copious  Selection  of  Old  English  Words.  By  the  Rev.  JAMES 
STORMONTH.  The  Pronunciation  Revised  by  the  Rev.  P.  H.  PHELP, 
M.A.  Imperial  8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00;  Half  Roan,  $7  00;  Full  Sheep, 
$7  50.  (New  Edition.) 

PARTON'S  CARICATURE.  Caricature  and  Other  Comic  Art,  in 
All  Times  and  Many  Lands.  By  JAMES  PARTON.  203  Illustrations. 
8vo,  Cloth,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $5  00  ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 

DU  CHAILLU'S  LAND  OF  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN.  Summer 
and  Winter  Journeys  in  Sweden,  Norway,  Lapland,  and  Northern 
Finland.  By  PAUL  B.  Du  CHAILLU.  Illustrated.  2  vols.,  8vo, 
Cloth,  $7  50;  Half  Calf,  $12  00. 


4  Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

LOSSING'S  CYCLOPAEDIA  OF  UNITED  STATES  HISTORY. 
From  the  Aboriginal  Period  to  1876.  By  B.  J.  LOSSING,  LL.D. 
Illustrated  by  2  Steel  Portraits  and  over  1000  Engravings.  2  vols., 
Royal  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00;  Sheep,  §12  00;  Half  Morocco,  $15  00. 
(Sold  by  Subscription  only.) 

LOSSING'S  FIELD-BOOK  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  Pictorial 
Field-Book  of  the  Revolution ;  or,  Illustrations  by  Pen  and  Pencil 
of  the  History,  Biography,  Scenery,  Relics,  and  Traditions  of  the 
War  for  Independence.  By  BENSON  J.  LOSSING.  2  vols.,  8vo, 
Cloth,  $H  00;  Sheep  or  Roan,  $15  00;  Half  Calf,  $18  00. 

LOSSING'S  FIELD-BOOK  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  Pictorial 
Field-Book  of  the  War  of  1812;  or,  Illustrations  by  Pen  and  Pencil 
of  the  History,  Biography,  Scenery,  Relics,  and  Traditions  of  the 
last  War  for  American  Independence.  By  BENSON  J.  LOSSING. 
With  several  hundred  Engravings.  1088  pages,  8vo,  Cloth,  $7  00 ; 
Sheep  or  Roan,  $8  50 ;  Half  Calf,  $10  00. 

MULLER'S  POLITICAL  HISTORY  OF  RECENT  TIMES  (1816- 
1875).  With  Special  Reference  to  Germany.  By  WILLIAM  MiJL- 
LER.  Translated,  with  an  Appendix  covering  the  Period  from  1876 
to  1881,  by  the  Rev.  JOHN  P.  PETERS,  Ph.D.  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

STANLEY'S  THROUGH  THE  DARK  CONTINENT.  Through 
the  Dark  Continent ;  or,  The  Sources  of  the  Nile,  Around  the  Great 
Lakes  of  Equatorial  Africa,  and  Down  the  Livingstone  River  to  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  149  Illustrations  and  10  Maps.  By  H.  M.  STAN- 
LET.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00;  Sheep,  $12  00;  Half  Morocco, 
$15  00. 

STANLEY'S  CONGO.  The  Congo  and  the  Founding  of  its  Free 
State,  a  Story  of  Work  and  Exploration.  With  over  One  Hundred 
Full-page  and  smaller  Illustrations.  Two  Large  Maps,  and  several 
smaller  ones.  By  H.  M.  STANLEY.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00 ; 
Sheep,  $12  00;  Half  Morocco,  $15  00. 

GREEN'S  ENGLISH  PEOPLE.  History  of  the  English  People. 
By  JOHN  RICHARD  GHEKN,  M.A.  With  Maps.  4  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth, 
$10  00;  Sheep,  $12  00;  Half  Calf,  $19  00. 

GREEN'S  MAKING  OF  ENGLAND.  The  Making  of  England. 
By  JOHN  RICHARD  GREEN.  With  Maps.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50 ;  Sheep, 
$3  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $3  75. 

GREEN'S  CONQUEST  OF  ENGLAND.  The  Conquest  of  England. 
By  JOHN  RICHARD  GREEN.  With  Maps.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50  ;  Sheep, 
$3  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $3  75. 


Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries.  5 

ENGLISH    MEN   OF   LETTERS.      Edited    by  JOHN   MORLET. 
The  following  volumes  are  now  ready.     Others  will  follow : 

JOHNSON.  By  L.  Stephen. — GIBBON.  By  J.  C.  Morison. — SCOTT.  By  R.  H.  Hut- 
ton.—  SHELLEY.  By  J.  A.  Symonds. — GOLDSMITH.  By  W.  Black. — HUME.  By  Pro- 
fessor Huxley. — DEFOE.  By  W.  Minto. — BURNS.  By  Principal  Shairp.— SPENSER. 
By  R.W.  Church. — THACKERAY.  By  A.  Trollope. — BURKE.  By  J.  Morley.— MILTON. 
By  M.  Pattison.— SOUTHEY.  By  E.  Dowden.— CHAUCER.  By  A.  W.  Ward.  — BUNYAN. 
By  J.  A.  Froude. — COWPER.  By  G.  Smith. — POPE.  By  L.  Stephen. — BYRON.  By 
J.  Nichols. — LOCKE.  By  T.  Fowler.— WORDSWORTH.  By  F.  W.  H.  Myers.— HAW- 
THORNE. By  Henry  James,  Jr.  — DRYDEN.  By  G.  Saintsbury.  — LANDOR.  By  S.  Col- 
Tin.— DE  QUINCEY.  By  D.  Masson.— LAMB.  By  A.  Ainger.— BENTLEY.  By  R.  C. 
Jebb.— DICKENS.  By  A.  W.  Ward. —GRAY  By  E.  W.  Gosse.— SWIFT.  By  L.Stephen. 
— STERNE.  By  H.  D.  Traill. — MACAULAY.  By  J.  C.  Morison.— FIELDING.  By  A.  Dob- 
son. — SHERIDAN.  By  Mrs.  Oliphant. — ADDISON.  By  W.  J.  Courthope. — BACON.  By 
R.  W.  Church.— COLERIDGE.  By  H.  D.  TrailL— SIB  PHILIP  SIDNEY.  By  J.  A.  Sy- 
monds.  12mo,  Cloth,  75  cents  per  volume. 

REBER'S  HISTORY  OF  ANCIENT  ART.  History  of  Ancient 
Art.  By  Dr.  FRANZ  VON  REBER.  Revised  by  the  Author.  Trans- 
lated and  Augmented  by  Joseph  Thacher  Clarke.  With  310  Illus- 
trations and  a  Glossary  of  Technical  Terms.  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

REBER'S  MEDIAEVAL  ART.  History  of  Mediaeval  Art.  By  Dr. 
FRANZ  VON  REBER.  Translated  and  Augmented  by  Joseph  Thacher 
Clarke.  With  422  Illustrations,  and  a  Glossary  of  Technical  Terms. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

NEWCOMB'S  ASTRONOMY.  Popular  Astronomy.  By  SIMON 
NEWCOMB,  LL.D.  With  112  Engravings,  and  5  Maps  of  the  Stars. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50  ;  School  Edition,  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  30. 

VAN-LENNEP'S  BIBLE  LANDS.  Bible  Lands :  their  Modern  Cus- 
toms and  Manners  Illustrative  of  Scripture.  By  HENRY  J.  VAN- 
LENNEP,  D.D.  350  Engravings. and  2  Colored  Maps.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$5  00 ;  Sheep,  $6  00 ;  Half  Morocco,  $8  00. 

CESNOLA'S  CYPRUS.  Cyprus:  its  Ancient  Cities,  Tombs,  and 
Temples.  A  Narrative  of  Researches  and  Excavations  during  Ten 
Years'  Residence  in  that  Island.  By  L.  P.  DI  CESNOLA.  With 
Portrait,  Maps,  and  400  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth,  Extra,  Uncut 
Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $7  50. 

TENNYSON'S  COMPLETE  POEMS.  The  Complete  Poetical  Works 
of  Alfred,  Lord  Tennyson.  With  an  Introductory  Sketch  by  Anne 
Thackeray  Ritchie.  With  Portraits  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Extra 
Cloth,  Bevelled,  Gilt  Edges,  $2  50. 

SHORT'S  NORTH  AMERICANS  OF  ANTIQUITY.  The  North 
Americans  of  Antiquity.  Their  Origin,  Migrations,  and  Type  of 
Civilization  Considered.  By  JOHN  T.  SHORT.  Illustrated.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $3  00. 


6  Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

GROTE'S  HISTORY  OF  GREECE.  12  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $18  00; 
Sheep,  $22  80 ;  Half  Calf,  $39  00. 

FLAMMARION'S  ATMOSPHERE.  Translated  from  the  French 
of  CAMILLE  FLAMMARION.  With  10  Chromo  -  Lithographs  and  86 
Wood-cuts.  8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00  ;  Half  Calf,  $8  25. 

BAKER'S  ISMAILIA  :  a  Narrative  of  the  Expedition  to  Central  Af- 
rica for  the  Suppression  of  the  Slave  -  trade,  organized  by  Ismail, 
Khedive  of  Egypt.  By  Sir  SAMUEL  W.  BAKER.  With  Maps,  Por- 
traits, and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  ZAMBESI.  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the 
Zambesi  and  its  Tributaries,  and  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Lakes 
Shirwa  and  Nyassa,  1858  to  1864.  By  DAVID  and  CHARLES  LIV- 
INGSTONE. Illustrated.  8vo,  Qloth,  $5  00 ;  Sheep,  $5  50  ;  Half 
Calf,  $7  25. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  LAST  JOURNALS.  The  Last  Journals  of  Da- 
vid Livingstone,  in  Central  Africa,  from  1865  to  his  Death.  Con- 
tinued by  a  Narrative  of  his  Last  Moments,  obtained  from  his 
Faithful  Servants  Chuma  and  Susi.  By  HORACE  WALLER.  With 
Portrait,  Maps,  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00;  Sheep,  $6  00. 

BLAIKIE'S  LIFE  OF  DAVID  LIVINGSTONE.  Memoir  of  his 
Personal  Life,  from  his  Unpublished  Journals  and  Correspondence. 
By  W.  G.  BLAIKIE,  D.D.  With  Portrait  and  Map.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$2  25. 

"  THE  FRIENDLY  EDITION  "  of  Shakespeare's  Works.  Edited  by 
W.  J.  ROLFB.  In  20  vols.  Illustrated.  16mo,  Gilt  Tops  and  Un- 
cut Edges,  Sheets,  $27  00 ;  Cloth,  $30  00  ;  Half  Calf,  $60  per  Set. 

GIESELER'S  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  A  Text -Book  of 
Church  History.  By  Dr.  JOHN  C.  L.  GIESELER.  Translated  from 
the  Fourth  Revised  German  Edition.  Revised  and  Edited  by  Rev. 
HENRY  B.  SMITH,  D.D.  Vols.  I.,  II.,  III.,  and  IV.,  8vo,  Cloth, 
$2  25  each ;  Vol.  V.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00.  Complete  Sets,  5  vols., 
Sheep,  $14  50 ;  Half  Calf,  $23  25. 

CURTIS'S  LIFE  OF  BUCHANAN.  Life  of  James  Buchanan,  Fif- 
teenth President  of  the  United  States.  By  GEORGE  TICKNOR  Ctra- 
TIS.  With  Two  Steel  Plate  Portraits.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  Uncut 
Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $6  00. 

COLERIDGE'S  WORKS.  The  Complete  Works  of  Samuel  Taylor 
Coleridge.  With  an  Introductory  Essay  upon  his  Philosophical  and 
Theological  Opinions.  Edited  by  Professor  W.  G.  T.  SHEDD.  With 
Steel  Portrait,  and  an  Index.  7  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00  per  vol- 
ume;  $12  00  per  set;  Half  Calf,  $24  25. 


Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries.  7 

GRIFFIS'S  JAPAN.  The  Mikado's  Empire :  Book  I.  History  of 
Japan,  from  660  B.C.  to  1872  A.D.  Book  II.  Personal  Experiences, 
Observations,  and  Studies  in  Japan,  from  1870  to  1874.  With  Two 
Supplementary  Chapters:  Japan  in  1883,  and  Japan  in  1886.  By 
W.  E.  GRIFFIS.  Copiously  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00 ;  Half  Calf, 
$6  25. 

SMILES'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  The  Huguenots: 
their  Settlements,  Churches,  and  Industries  in  England  and  Ireland. 
By  SAMUEL  SMILES.  With  an  Appendix  relating  to  the  Huguenots 
in  America.  Crown,  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

SMILES'S  HUGUENOTS  AFTER  THE  REVOCATION.  The  Hu- 
guenots in  France  after  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes ;  with 
a  Visit  to  the  Country  of  the  Vaudois.  By  SAMUEL  SMILES.  Crown 
8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

SMILES'S  LIFE  OF  THE  STEPHENSONS.  The  Life  of  George 
Stephenson,  and  of  his  Son,  Robert  Stephenson  ;  comprising,  also,  a 
History  of  the  Invention  and  Introduction  of  the  Railway  Locomo- 
tive. By  SAMUEL  SMILES.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

THE  POETS  AND  POETRY  OF  SCOTLAND :  From  the  Earliest 
to  the  Present  Time.  Comprising  Characteristic  Selections  from 
the  Works  of  the  more  Noteworthy  Scottish  Poets,  with  Biographi- 
cal and  Critical  Notices.  By  JAMES  GRANT  WILSON.  With  Por- 
traits on  Steel.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00  ;  Gilt  Edges,  $11  00. 

SCHLIEMANN'S  ILIOS.  Ilios,  the  City  and  Country  of  the  Trojans. 
A  Narrative  of  the  Most  Recent  Discoveries  and  Researches  made 
on  the  Plain  of  Troy.  By  Dr.  HENRY  SCHLIKMANN.  Maps,  Plans, 
and  Illustrations.  Imperial  8vo,  Illuminated  Cloth,  $12  00;  Half 
Morocco,  $15  00. 

SCHLIEMANN'S  TROJA.  Troja.  Results  of  the  Latest  Researches 
and  Discoveries  on  the  Site  of  Homer's  Troy,  and  in  the  Heroic  Tu- 
muli and  other  sites,  made  in  the  Year  1882,  and  a  Narrative  of  a 
Journey  in  the  Troad  in  1881.  By  Dr.  HENRY  SCHLIEMANN.  Pref- 
ace by  Professor  A.  H.  Sayce.  With  Wood-cuts,  Maps,  and  Plans. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $7  60 ;  Half  Morocco,  $10  00. 

SCHWEINFURTH'S  HEART  OF  AFRICA.  Three  Years'  Travels 
and  Adventures  in  the  Unexplored  Regions  of  the  Centre  of  Africa — 
from  1868  to  1871.  By  GEOKG  SCHWEINFURTH.  Translated  by 
ELLEN  E.  FREWER.  Illustrated.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $8  00. 

NORTON'S  STUDIES  OF  CHURCH-BUILDING.  Historical  Stud- 
ies of  Church-Building  in  the  Middle  Ages.  Venice,  Siena,  Flor- 
ence. By  CHARLES  ELIOT  NORTON.  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 


8  Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  "  CHALLENGER."  ,  The  Atlantic  :  an 
Account  of  the  General  Results  of  the  Voyage  during  1873,  and  the 
Early  Part  of  1876.  By  Sir  WYVILLE  THOMSON,  K.C.B.,  F.R.S. 
Illustrated.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

THE  STUDENT'S  SERIES.  Maps  and  Illustrations.  12mo,  Cloth  : 
FRANCE. — GIBBON. — GREECE. — ROME  (by  LIDDELL). — OLD  TES- 
TAMENT HISTORY.  —  NEW  TKSTAMENT  HISTORY.  —  STRICKLAND'S 
QUEENS  OF  ENGLAND. — ANCIENT  HISTORY  OF  THE  EAST. — HAL- 
LAM'S  MIDDLE  AGES.  —  HALLAM'S  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY  OF 
ENGLAND. —  LYELL'S  ELEMENTS  OF  GEOLOGY. —  MERIVALE'B  GEN- 
ERAL HISTORY  OF  ROME.  —  Cox's  GENERAL  HISTORY  OF  GREECE. 
— CLASSICAL  DICTIONARY. — SKEAT'S  ETYMOLOGICAL  DICTIONARY. — 
RAWLINSON'S  ANCIENT  HISTORY.  $1  25  per  volume. 

LEWIS'S  HISTORY  OF  GERMANY. — ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY,  Two 
Vols. — HUME'S  ENGLAND. — MODERN  EUROPE.     $1  50  per  volume. 
WKSTCOTT  AND  HORT'S  GREEK  TESTAMENT,  $1  00. 

THOMSON'S    SOUTHERN    PALESTINE    AND    JERUSALEM. 

Southern  Palestine  and  Jerusalem.  Biblical  Illustrations  drawn 
from  the  Manners  and  Customs,  the  Scenes  and  Scenery,  of  the 
Holy  Land.  By  W.  M.  THOMSON,  D.D.  140  Illustrations  and 
Maps.  Square  8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00 ;  Sheep,  $7  00 ;  Half  Morocco, 
$8  50  ;  Full  Morocco,  Gilt  Edges,  $10  00. 

THOMSON'S  CENTRAL  PALESTINE  AND  PHOENICIA.  Cen- 
tral Palestine  and  Phoenicia.  Biblical  Illustrations  drawn  from  the 
Manners  and  Customs,  the  Scenes  and  Scenery,  of  the  Holy  Land. 
By  W.  M.  THOMSON,  D.D.  130  Illustrations  and  Maps.  Square  8vo, 
Cloth,  $6  00;  Sheep,  $7  00;  Half  Morocco,  $8  50;  Full  Morocco, 
$10  00. 

THOMSON'S  LEBANON,  DAMASCUS,  AND  BEYOND  JORDAN. 

Lebanon,  Damascus,  and  beyond  Jordan.  Biblical  Illustrations  drawn 
from  the  Manners  and  Customs,  the  Scenes  and  Scenery,  of  the  Holy 
Land.  By  W.  M.  THOMSON,  D.D.  147  Illustrations  and  Maps. 
Square  8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00;  Sheep,  $7  00;  Half  Morocco,  $8  50; 
Full  Morocco,  $10  00. 

Popular  Edition  of  the  above  three  volumes,  8vo,  Ornamental  Cloth, 
$9  00  per  set. 

CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BRITISH  AND  AMERICAN  POETRY.  Ed- 
ited by  EPES  SARGENT.  Royal  8vo,  Illuminated  Cloth,  Colored 
Edges,  $4  50 ;  Half  Leather,  $5  00. 

EATON'S  CIVIL  SERVICE.  Civil  Service  in  Great  Britain.  A 
History  of  Abuses  and  Reforms,  and  their  bearing  upon  American 
Politics.  By  DORMAN  B.  EATON.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 


Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries..  9 

CAMERON'S  ACROSS  AFRICA.  Across  Africa.  By  VERNEY  Lov- 
BTT  CAMERON.  Map  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

CARLYLE'S  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT.  History  of  Friedrich 
II.,  called  Frederick  the  Great.  By  THOMAS  CARLTLB.  Portraits, 
Maps,  Plans,  &c.  6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $7  50  ;  Sheep,  $9  90 ;  Half 
Calf,  $18  00. 

CARLYLE'S  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  The  French  Revolution : 
a  History.  By  THOMAS  CARLTLE.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  50; 
Sheep,  $2  90  ;  Half  Calf,  $4  25. 

CARLYLE'S  OLIVER  CROMWELL.  Oliver  Cromwell's  Letters 
and  Speeches,  including  the  Supplement  to  the  First  Edition.  With 
Elucidations.  By  THOMAS  CARLTLB.  2  vols.,  I2mo,  Cloth,  $2  50  ; 
Sheep,  $2  90 ;  Half  Calf,  $4  25. 

PAST  AND  PRESENT,  CHARTISM,  AND  SARTOR  RESARTUS. 
By  THOMAS  CARLTLB.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  25. 

EARLY  KINGS  OF  NORWAY,  AND  THE  PORTRAITS  OF  JOHN 
KNOX.  By  THOMAS  CARLTLK.  I2mot  Cloth,  $1  25. 

REMINISCENCES  BY  THOMAS  CARLYLE.  Edited  by  J.  A. 
FROUDE.  12mo,  Cloth,  with  Copious  Index,  and  with  Thirteen  Por- 
traits, 50  cents. 

FROUDE'S  LIFE  OF  THOMAS  CARLYLE.  PART  I.  A  History 
of  the  First  Forty  Years  of  Carlyle's  Life  (1795-1835).  By  JAMES 
ANTHONY  FROUDK,  M.A.  With  Portraits  and  Illustrations.  2  vol- 
umes in  one,  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

PART  II.  A  History  of  Carlyle's  Life  in  London  (1834-1881).  By 
JAMES  ANTHONT  FROUDE.  Illustrated.  2  volumes  in  one.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $1  00. 

M'CARTHY'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND.  A  History  of  Our  Own 
Times,  from  the  Accession  of  Queen  Victoria  to  the  General  Elec- 
tion of  1880.  By  JUSTIN  M'CARTHT.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  50 ; 
Half  Calf,  $6  00. 

M'CARTHY'S  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  OUR  OWN  TIMES.  A 
Short  History  of  Our  Own  Times,  from  the  Accession  of  Queen  Vic- 
toria to  the  General  Election  of  1880.  By  JUSTIN  M'CARTHT,  M.P. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

M'CARTHY'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  FOUR  GEORGES.  A  History 
of  the  Four  Georges.  By  JUSTIN  M'CARTHT,  M.P.  Vol.1.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $1  25.  (To  be  completed  in  Four  Volumes.) 


10  Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

ABBOTT'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.    The 

French  Revolution  of  1789,  as  viewed  in  the  Light  of  Republican 
Institutions.  By  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$5  00  ;  Sheep,  $5  50  ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 

ABBOTT'S  NAPOLEON.  The  History  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 
By  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT.  Maps,  Illustrations,  and  Portraits.  2 
vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00;  Sheep,  $11  00;  Half  Calf,  $14  50. 

ABBOTT'S  NAPOLEON  AT  ST.  HELENA.  Napoleon  at  St. 
Helena;  or,  Anecdotes  and  Conversations  of  the  Emperor  during 
the  Years  of  his  Captivity.  Collected  from  the  Memorials  of  Las 
Casas,  O'Meara,  Montholon,  Antommarchi,  and  others.  By  JOHN 
S.  C.  ABBOTT.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00  ;  Sheep,  $5  50  ;  Half 
Calf,  $7  25. 

ABBOTT'S  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT.  The  History  of  Frederick 
the  Second,  called  Frederick  the  Great.  By  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 
Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 

TROLLOPE'S  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  An  Autobiography.  By  AN- 
THONY TROLLOPE.  With  a  Portrait.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  25. 

TROLLOPE'S  CICERO.  Life  of  Cicero.  By  ANTHONY  TROLLOPE. 
2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

FOLK-LORE  OF  SHAKESPEARE.  By  the  Rev.  T.  F.  THISELTON 
DYER,  M.A.,  Oxon.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

WATSON'S  MARCUS  AURELIUS  ANTONINUS.  Marcus  Anreli- 
us  Antoninus.  By  PAUL  BARRON  WATSON.  Crown  8vo,  Cloth, 
$2.50. 

THOMSON'S  THE  GREAT  ARGUMENT.  The  Great  Argument ; 
or,  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Old  Testament.  By  W.  H.  THOMSON,  M.A., 
M.D.  Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

HUDSON'S  HISTORY  OF  JOURNALISM.  Journalism  in  the  United 
States,  from  1690  to  1872.  By  FREDERIC  HUDSON.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$5  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 

SHELDON'S  HISTORY  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE.  History 
of  Christian  Doctrine.  By  H.  C.  SHELDON,  Professor  of  Church  His- 
tory in  Boston  University.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  §3  50  per  set. 

DEXTER'S  CONGREGATIONALISM.  The  Congregationalism  of 
the  Last  Three  Hundred  Years,  as  Seen  in  its  Literature :  with 
Special  Reference  to  certain  Recondite,  Neglected,  or  Disputed 
Passages.  With  a  Bibliographical  Appendix.  By  H.  M.  DEXTER. 
Large  8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 


Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries.  11 

SYMONDS'S  SKETCHES  AND  STUDIES  IN  SOUTHERN  EU- 
ROPE. By  JOHN  ADDINGTON  SYMONDS.  2  vols.,  Square  16mo, 
Cloth,  $4  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $7  50. 

SYMONDS'S  GREEK  POETS.  Studies  of  the  Greek  Poets.  By 
JOHN  ADDINGTON  SYMONDS.  2  vols.,  Square  16mo,  Cloth,  $3  60; 
Half  Calf,  $7  00. 

MAHAFFY'S  GREEK  LITERATURE.  A  History  of  Classical 
Greek  Literature.  By  J.  P.  MAHAFFY.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth, 
$4  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $7  50. 

DU  CHAILLU'S  ASHANGO  LAND.  A  Journey  to  Ashango  Land, 
and  Further  Penetration  into  Equatorial  Africa.  By  PAUL  B. 
Du  CHAILLU.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 

SIMCOX'S  LATIN  LITERATURE.  A  History  of  Latin  Literature, 
from  Ennius  to  Boethius.  By  GEORGE  AUGUSTUS  SIMCOX,  M.A.  2 
vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

BARTLETT'S  FROM  EGYPT  TO  PALESTINE.  Through  Sinai, 
the  Wilderness,  and  the  South  Country.  Observations  of  a  Journey 
made  with  Special  Reference  to  the  History  of  the  Israelites.  By 
S.  C.  BARTLETT,  D.D.  Maps  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

KINGLAKE'S  CRIMEAN  WAR.  The  Invasion  of  the  Crimea  :  its 
Origin,  and  an  Account  of  its  Progress  down  to  the  Death  of  Lord 
Raglan.  By  ALEXANDER  WILLIAM  KINGLAKE.  With  Maps  and 
Plans.  Four  Volumes  now  ready.  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00  per  vol. 

NEWCOMB'S  POLITICAL  ECONOMY.  Principles  of  Political 
Economy.  By  SIMON  NEWCOMB,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Mathematics, 
U.  S.  Navy,  Professor  in  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  pp.  xvi., 
548.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

SHAKSPEARE.  The  Dramatic  Works  of  Shakspeare.  With  Notes. 
Engravings.  6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00  ; 
Sheep,  $5  00.  In  one  vol.,  8vo,  Sheep,  $4  00. 

GENERAL  BEAUREGARD'S  MILITARY  OPERATIONS.  The 
Military  Operations  of  General  Beauregard  in  the  War  Between  the 
States,  1861  to  1865;  including  a  brief  Personal  Sketch,  and  a  Nar- 
rative of  his  Services  in  the  War  with  Mexico,  1846  to  1848.  By 
ALFRED  ROMAN,  formerly  Aide-de-Camp  on  the  Staff  of  General 
Beauregard.  With  Portraits,  &c.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $7  00 ;  Sheep, 
$9  00;  Half  Morocco,  $11  00;  Full  Morocco,  $15  00.  (Sold  only 
by  Subscription .) 


12  Valuable  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

NORDHOFF'S  COMMUNISTIC  SOCIETIES  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES.  The  Communistic  Societies  of  the  United  States,  from 
Personal  Visit  and  Observation  ;  including  Detailed  Accounts  of  the 
Economists,  Zoarites,  Shakers,  the  Amana,  Oneida,  Bethel,  Aurora, 
Icarian,  and  other  existing  Societies.  By  CHARLES  NORDHOFF.  Il- 
lustrations. 8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

BOSWELL'S  JOHNSON.  The  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.D.,  in- 
cluding a  Journal  of  a  Tour  to  the  Hebrides.  By  JAMES  BOSWELL. 
Edited  by  J.  W.  CROKER,  LL.D.,  F.E.S.  With  a  Portrait  of  Bos- 
well.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00;  Sheep,  $5  00. 

BROUGHAM'S  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  Life  and  Times  of  Henry, 
Lord  Brougham.  Written  by  Himself.  3  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 

BOURNE'S  LOCKE.  The  Life  of  John  Locke.  By  H.  R.  Fox 
BOURNE.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

EARTH'S  NORTH  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  Travels  and  Dis- 
coveries in  North  and  Central  Africa  :  being  a  Journal  of  an  Expe- 
dition undertaken  under  the  Auspices  of  H.B.M.'s  Government,  in 
the  Years  1849-1855.  By  HENRY  EARTH,  Ph.D.,  D.C.L.  Illus- 
trated. 3  vols,  8vo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

BULWER'S  LIFE  AND  LETTERS.  Life,  Letters,  and  Literary 
Remains  of  Edward  Bulvver,  Lord  Lytton.  By  his  Son,  the  EARL 
OF  LYTTON  ( " Owen  Meredith").  Volume  I.  Illustrated.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $2  75. 

BULWER'S  HORACE.  The  Odes  and  Epodes  of  Horace.  A  Met- 
rical Translation  into  English.  With  Introduction  and  Commen- 
taries. With  Latin  Text  from  the  Editions  of  Orelli,  Macleane,  and 
Yonge.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

BULWER'S  MISCELLANEOUS  WORKS.  Miscellaneous  Prose 
Works  of  Edward  Bulwer,  Lord  Lytton.  In  Two  Volumes.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $3  50. 

PERRY'S   HISTORY    OF   THE   CHURCH   OF   ENGLAND.      A 

History  of  the  English  Church,  from  the  Accession  of  Henry  VIII. 
to  the  Silencing  of  Convocation.  By  G.  G.  PERRY,  M.A.  With  a 
Sketch  of  the  History  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States,  by  J.  A.  SPENCER,  S.T.D.  Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

FORSTER'S  LIFE  OF  DEAN  SWIFT.  The  Early  Life  of  Jona- 
than Swift  (1667-1711).  By  JOHN  FORSTUB.  With  Portrait.  8vc. 
Cloth,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $2  50. 


